Psychological aspects of infection control and the care of the patient with HIV in dentistry

Abstract

HIV presents a number of challenges to the dentist. There is a need to control infection risks and, in spite of all the information available, a minority of dentists still have incomplete infection control procedures. The reasons for this and the implications for dental education are explored. There is also a need to ensure that the patient is optimally managed by the dentist and the importance of linkages to other services and the likely demands of patients on the dentist are reviewed. Finally the impact of treating the patient with HIV disease on the dentist and ways of minimising stress associated with the work are considered.

Dental caries prevalence and dental health behaviour in HIV infected children

“…Few parents stated that they had disclosed their child’s HIV status to the dentist: non‐disclosure of an individual’s seropositivity is common, because of several factors including fear of stigmatization [29]. Several studies investigating the attitudes of GDPs to HIV infection have shown that it is the complexity of issues surrounding the treatment of HIV infected individuals (such as universal cross infection control, knowledge about the disease and competence in recognizing oral manifestations), which influences the willingness of dentists to accept these patients [30]. However, denial of care to HIV infected individuals can only serve to reinforce social stigmatization and extend the temptation for nondisclosure, which clearly is in opposition to patients’ best interests.…”