HIV: Infection Control/Exposure Control Issues for Oral Healthcare Personnel
Evaluate the Exposure Source to Assess Risk

If the infectious status of the source person is unknown, he/she should be informed of the incident and tested for serologic evidence for HBsAg, anti-HCV, and HIV antibody (consider using rapid testing).³⁰ Concerns have been expressed that an HIV-negative source might be in the so-called “window period”, i.e., the period of time between initial HIV infection and the development of detectable HIV antibodies; however, no such instances of occupational transmission have reported to date.³⁰