Hepatitis C: what a dentist should know

During the last two decades, the existence of a blood-borne virus responsible for non-A, non-B hepatitis was suspected but not identified. In the United States, an estimated 170,000 cases of post-transfusion hepatitis, many of which became chronic, were attributed to the unknown virus. Recently, however, the virus has been identified and more has been learned about the disease. This review will focus on recent advances regarding the virus and its implications for dental practice.