Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to evaluate the dentists’ knowledge and practice regarding HIV positive individuals’ oral care in Rio de Janeiro State.MethodsDentists from Rio de Janeiro State (n = 242) answered an electronic questionnaire on biosafety procedures, oral manifestations of AIDS, and knowledge of HIV infection. Collected information was stratified by gender, and data were analyzed using Chi-square and t tests.ResultsFrom the 14 oral manifestations investigated, oral candidiasis, necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, and hairy leucoplakia were more associated with HIV, with no differences between the responses from men and women. Above 85% of the participants would be concerned about becoming infected with HIV after a needle/ sharp object injury and more than 80% of them were willing to be tested for HIV. However, significantly more women (98.8%), compared to men (91.3%), said they knew that HIV/ AIDS patients can contaminate dental care professionals, p = 0.007. There was a significant difference in the answers for the questions: “Are there special dental clinics for treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in Brazil?” (p = 0.044), and “Do the negative HIV tests surely indicate that the persons are free of viruses?” (p = 0.005). Significant differences between men and women were also observed regarding use of disposable mask (p = 0.01), and cap (p < 0.0001).ConclusionMost dentists who participated in the study presented a good knowledge on the care of HIV/ AIDS individuals, including biosafety protocols and in terms of the oral manifestations commonly associated to AIDS.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to evaluate the dentists’ knowledge and practice regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive individuals’ oral care in Rio de Janeiro State
Oral cavity clinical signs become extremely important for the primarily presumption for HIV infection [10]
Electronic questionnaire was developed in Google Forms, containing 47 questions, which included questions about dental care for HIV+ patients
Summary
The aim of this study was to evaluate the dentists’ knowledge and practice regarding HIV positive individuals’ oral care in Rio de Janeiro State. Infected individuals may develop the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) when the infection reaches advanced stages [2]. Levels of CD4+ bellow 200 mg/ dL indicates deficient immune response, which is one HIV+ individuals may have oral pathognomonic manifestations of AIDS, including oral candidiasis, hairy leucoplakia, Kaposi sarcoma, linear gingival erythema, necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, necrotizing ulcerative periodontitis, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma [6,7,8,9]. Silva-Boghossian et al BMC Oral Health (2020) 20:13. Those oral lesions may work as an indicator of infection progression [6,7,8]. Dental surgeons may be the first health professionals to suspect of positivity [11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
