Rare Lung Disease Diagnosed Among Dentists in Virginia Raises Concerns

After identifying a surprising number of dentists in Virginia diagnosed with a progressive and life-threatening lung disease, federal health officials are warning all dental workers that they may be at risk, although the exact cause of the problems are unknown.

Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report this month in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which outlines an investigation into a cluster of Virginia dentists diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in recent years, most of which have already died as a result of the mysterious lung condition.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic and progressive disease, which has no known cause and typically involves about 200,000 people in the U.S. It involves scarring to the lungs, which may worsen over time, causing individuals to have trouble getting oxygen to vital organs, such as the heart and brain.

Symptoms of IPF include shortness of breath, dry, chronic cough, weight loss, joint and muscle pain, and clubbed fingers or toes. While the disease can be slowed, nothing can remove the scar tissue once it develops, and the typical survival time after being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is only three to five years.

The CDC indicates that a cluster of cases was identified at one Virginia clinic, after a dentist reported the issue following his diagnosis in 2016. The dentist reported that he never smoked, but admitted that he never wore a respirator during dental treatments when polishing equipment, or when making amalgam fillings or impressions.

Of the nine cases of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) linked to the clinic between 2000 to 2015, eight involved dentists and one was a dental technician. At least seven of the nine cases have already resulted in death.

The CDC indicates IPF is typically linked to certain occupations with higher risks of inhalation exposure, like wood and metal workers. Other factors can also place a person at higher risk, like viral infections and cigarette smoking. However, there is no published data concerning a link between dentists and IPF.

Dentists and dental workers are exposed to certain types of substances which can be harmful to the respiratory system, like silica, polyvinyl siloxane, alginate, and other compounds.

Health officials are now warning that dental professionals have an elevated risk of developing the disease. The CDC researchers determined that those in the dental profession are 23 times more likely to get IPF than the rest of the population.

“During 2016, approximately 650,000 dental personnel were estimated to be employed in the United States, including 122,330 dentists,” the researchers noted. “This cluster of IPF cases reinforces the need to understand further the occupational exposures of dental personnel and the association between these exposures and the risk of developing IPF so that strategies can be developed for prevention of potentially harmful exposures.”