Which Vaccines Are Required for Dental Workers?

If you’re a healthcare worker including an individual working in a dental setting, it’s very important to stay up to date on recommended vaccines to protect yourself and your patients. Read below to see which vaccines are required for dental workers.

Hepatits B Vaccine

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is transmitted through exposure to blood and other potentially infections material (OPIM). For any dental workers, such as dentists, dental assistants, hygienists and administrative staff who have cross over duties to the clinical areas have reasonably anticipated contact with blood or OPIM.  HBV can cause fatal liver disease including cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.

OSHA requires the vaccine be offered to those who have potential exposure within 10 days of the initial job assignment, unless the worker has already had the vaccine. In that case, we need documentation for their confidential occupational medical record. If the individual declines the vaccine, we need a written declination statement in their record.

The HBV vaccine is offered at no cost to the worker.¹

Other Vaccines

CDC recommends the following vaccines for health care workers in addition to HBV: 

• Influenza
• Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
• Pertussis 
• Varicella
• Meningococcal²

TB Skin Test

CDC recommends baseline Tuberculosis screening and testing for health care personnel for new hires. This process includes a risk assessment, symptom evaluation and TB blood test or TB skin test. If the individual has untreated latent TB infection, they should receive a yearly TB symptom screening.³  

Vaccines for Adults 

CDC recommends the following vaccines for adults aged 19 years and older:

• COVID-19 for aged 64 and younger. 
• Influenza annually
• RSV if pregnant during RSV season, if aged 60- 75 and if aged 75 years and older
• Tdap/Td every pregnancy and very 10 years for adults.
• Chickenpox if U.S. born and aged 45 years or younger
• HPV aged 27-45 years old⁴

Want to learn more about Modern Practice Solutions?

By Olivia Wann

Sources

1. https://www.osha.gov/publications/bbfact05
2. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr6007.pdf
3. https://www.cdc.gov/tb-healthcare-settings/hcp/screening-testing/baseline-testing.html
4. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-schedules/downloads/adults-schedule-easy-read.pdf