Knowledge and Attitude of Dentistry, Medicine and Pharmacy Students Related to HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Objective: HIV is one of the main infectious diseases threatening world health for a long time. It is critical that today's healthcare students have the right knowledge and perspectives on HIV/AIDS, as they are the first line of defense against such a threat locally and globally. This cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare students toward HIV/AIDS. Method: In this study, a 4-part questionnaire consisting of 50 questions was administered to 450 healthcare students. Participants’ sociodemographic status, general knowledge of HIV/AIDS, their attitude to patients, and their knowledge related to oral manifestations of it were evaluated. Results: With the participation of 100 students from each of the faculties of dentistry, medicine, and pharmacy, a response rate of 66.7% was achieved. The mean knowledge of HIV/AIDS score percentage was 44.2% in dentistry, 43.3% in medicine, and 44.6% in pharmacy. It was determined that they had a positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS patients, and their mean attitude percentage was 78.6% in dentistry, 75.9% in medicine, and 76.2% in pharmacy. When it comes to the oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS, as expected, dentistry students were found to have higher scores on the most common oral manifestations. Still, it was observed that students of all three faculties were not aware of most lesions. Conclusion: Although students' knowledge levels were lower than expected, it was determined that most students displayed a professional attitude towards HIV/AIDS. The results obtained from this study revealed that dentistry, medicine, and pharmacy students need more detailed relevant education. Keywords: HIV/AIDS, attitude, knowledge, dentistry students, medicine, pharmacy