Dentists across China are making joint efforts on sterilization methods to fight against possible HIV or AIDS infection.

According to Friday's China Daily, the campaign, supported by the Ministry of Health, is the continuation of a pilot health project that was launched in 1999 and carried out by Beijing University Stomatological Hospital.

Concerns have arisen recently following reports on the Internet that warn dental patients of the possible risks they face when having dental surgery. It makes clear the risk of contracting AIDS through unclean equipment.

Experts have confirmed that it is possible for patients to contract the HIV virus from instruments used previously on a HIV patient, if the instruments are not sterilized efficiently.

Such possibilities are relatively slim, said Dong Jianqun of Beijing Union Medical College.

"Until now we have not heard about any infections of this kind in China," Dong was quoted by China Daily as saying.

He explained that the HIV virus is not that strong. "It will die with 40 to 50 minutes when exposed at room temperature (about 10 to 20 degrees Celsius)," he said.

Sources in Beijing said that even though the public should not be too worried, the sanitary conditions in some small, privately owned dental clinics in Beijing are not satisfactory.

In these clinics, instruments are allegedly just washed with water, which experts say is not effective in killing infectious viruses.

According to Beijing Morning Post, the Ministry of Health has invested a total 30 million yuan (US$3.6 million) on improvement of cleanliness in dental services.

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2001)