The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has discovered a unique cluster of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis among dental professionals at a specialty clinic in Virginia. The discovery marked the first time that IPF, a chronic, progressive lung disease, has been associated with dental professionals. While the causes of IPF are unknown, occupational exposures to dust, wood dust, and metal dust have been suggested as possible contributing factors.  At the time of CDC’s investigation in April 2016, all but two of the dental workers treated at the Virginia clinic were deceased. One of the living patients reported polishing dental appliances and preparing amalgams and impressions without respiratory protection, which could have exposed the patient to silica, polyvinyl siloxane, alginate, and other compounds with known or potential respiratory toxicity. The patient had worked in dentistry for forty years. Information from the CDC report appears below.