Medical and Health Sciences | Article | Published 2024
Abstract. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is mainly transmitted parenterally, with blood transfusion and intravenous drug use being the most common risk factors. However, it has been suggested that there are other transmission routes. There are several studies in which HCV RNA has been detected in the saliva of patients infected with HCV, and epidemiological studies have suggested that dental treatment is a possible risk factor for HCV transmission [8,9,10,11]. The purpose of this study was to identify the presence of HCV RNA in saliva. 40 patients with chronic hepatitis C infection and positive tests for HCV antibodies in blood serum were studied. Of the patients, 22 (55%) were women, and 18 (45%) were men, whose ages ranged from 27 to 65 years. The median age was 47 years. Detection of HCV RNA in saliva was more often observed in patients with a relatively high serum viral load.