Diş Hekimliği Lisans Öğrencilerinin HIV/AIDS Hakkındaki Genel Bilgi Düzeyleri ve Tutumlarının Değerlendirilmesi: Anket Çalışması

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the level of knowledge of dental students about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and to assess their attitudes toward AIDS patients. Material and Methods: A total of 689 dental students from different grade level, studying at 32 different universities in Türkiye participated in the survey, which was conducted between January 2021 and March 2021 using the Google survey tool and investigated dental students' general knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS. Participants were presented with a questionnaire consisting of 3 questions on demographic information, 10 questions on general knowledge about HIV/AIDS, and 10 questions assessing their attitude toward HIV/AIDS. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software. The chi-square test was used to compare percentage, mean, and analytically expressed data in descriptive statistics. Values with p0.05). The 5th-grade students answered the question about HIV/AIDS oral lesions more correctly than the other grades (42.5%). The most 4th grade students answered 'Yes' to the question about concern of HIV transmission when treating patients (73.1%). Conclusion: The main findings were the students' low level of knowledge about oral HIV/AIDS lesions and their anxiety when treating HIV/AIDS-positive patients. Dental students should be trained to improve their knowledge and attitude toward HIV/AIDS.