The study “COVID-19: Seroprevalence and Vaccine Responses in UK Dental Care Professionals,” published in the Journal of Dental Research (JDR) provides a longitudinal analysis of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, including early analysis of the impact of vaccination on the immune response explains the enhanced risk of occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 for dental professionals.
A proportion of dental care professionals were recruited to test for baseline seroprevalence by looking for circulating antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, indicating prior COVID-19 infection were followed longitudinally for six months post vaccination announcement.
‘COVID-19 Seroprevalence study stress the importance of vaccination.’
the study discovers natural infection with SARS-CoV-2 is significantly higher in dental care professionals compared to the regional population and the rate of new infections in dental care practitioners was similar to the background population even after following the introduction of increased infection control procedures due to immunological memory from previous infection with SARS-CoV-2.
This important and timely study extends beyond the dental community by suggesting that natural infection alone is unlikely to generate herd immunity emphasizes the importance of vaccinations for controlling COVID-19.
Source: Medindia
