Knowledge and attitude of post-graduate dentistry students regarding HIV-positive patients

Document Type : Original Article(s)

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Oral and Dental Diseases Research Center AND Kerman Social Determinants on Oral Health Research Center AND Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

2 Dentist, Oral and Dental Diseases Research Center AND Kerman Social Determinants on Oral Health Research Center AND Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

3 Student of Medicine, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can cause a hazardous disease and has severe fatal consequences. The problem of dental treatment in affected patients has still remained a big debate. The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of post-graduate dentistry students regarding treatment and education of HIV-positive patients.METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study on the post-graduate students of dentistry in Iran. Samples were collected using consensus method. A valid questionnaire comprising three parts was designed according to previous studies. The questionnaire comprised of a demographic part, general questions and questions regarding knowledge and attitude of the subjects. Answers were collected and Student’s t-test and Fischer’s exact test was used to analyze the data.RESULTS: A total of 380 subjects took part in this study (164 male, 216 female). There were 92 HIV-positive patients. The average score of knowledge was 14.5 ± 2.8 (range = 0-24). The average score of knowledge in male and female participants was 14.5 ± 2.8 and 14.6 ± 2.7 respectively (range = 0-65). There was no significant relationship between knowledge and gender (P = 0.70). The average score of attitude was 44.8 ± 5.25 and male residents had a positive attitude in comparison to female residents. Male participants had a significantly more negative attitude toward high risk and HIV-positive patients compared to female residents (P = 0.04).CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that post-graduate students had a positive attitude toward treatment of HIV-positive patients. Also, this study showed that post-graduate students had a good knowledge about the HIV-positive patients. This study shows that post-graduate students of dentistry were eager to learn more about the treatment of HIV-positive patients. Findings of this study also add new concepts to the oral hygiene maintenance of HIV-positive patients and decision making for them.

Keywords


  1. Idele P, Gillespie A, Porth T, Suzuki C, Mahy M, Kasedde S, et al. Epidemiology of HIV and AIDS among adolescents: current status, inequities, and data gaps. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2014; 66(Suppl 2): S144-53.
  2. Kilmarx PH. Global epidemiology of HIV. Curr Opin HIV AIDS 2009; 4(4): 240-6.
  3. Deshpande AK, Patnaik MM. Nonopportunistic neurologic manifestations of the human immunodeficiency virus: an Indian study. MedGenMed 2005; 7(4): 2.
  4. Moretti RJ, Ayer WA, Derefinko A. Attitudes and practices of dentists regarding HIV patients and infection control. Gen Dent 1989; 37(2): 144-7.
  5. Oberoi SS, Marya CM, Sharma N, Mohanty V, Marwah M, Oberoi A. Knowledge and attitude of Indian clinical dental students towards the dental treatment of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Int Dent J 2014; 64(6): 324-32.
  6. Lewis DA, Gallagher JE, Gelbier S. An education and training initiative on dental care for the HIV-positive patient. Prim Dent Care 1996; 3(1): 28-35.
  7. Seacat JP, Inglehart MR. Education about treating patients with HIV infections/AIDS: the student perspective. J Dent Educ 2003; 67(6): 630-40.
  8. Tolle MA, Schwarzwald HL. Postexposure prophylaxis against human immunodeficiency virus. Am Fam Physician 2010; 82(2): 161-6.
  9. Bennett ME, Weyant RJ, Wallisch JM, Green G. Dentists' attitudes toward the treatment of HIV-positive patients. J Am Dent Assoc 1995; 126(4): 509-14.
  10. Mahat G, Scoloveno MA. HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among Nepalese adolescents. J Adv Nurs 2006; 53(5): 583-90.
  11. Tavoosi A, Zaferani A, Enzevaei A, Tajik P, Ahmadinezhad Z. Knowledge and attitude towards HIV/AIDS among Iranian students. BMC Public Health 2004; 4: 17.
  12. Nakhaee FH. Prisoners' knowledge of HIV/AIDS and its prevention in Kerman, Islamic Republic of Iran. East Mediterr Health J 2002; 8(6): 725-31.
  13. Seacat JD, Litt MD, Daniels AS. Dental students treating patients living with HIV/AIDS: the influence of attitudes and HIV knowledge. J Dent Educ 2009; 73(4): 437-44.
  14. Hartshorne JE, Carstens IL, Engelbrecht JJ, Hattingh D. Dental and oral hygiene student's knowledge of HIV infection and AIDS. J Dent Assoc S Afr 1994; 49(4): 161-7.
  15. Gerbert B, Sumser J, Maguire BT, Miyasaki C. Planning, implementation, and evaluation of AIDS education programs for dentists. J Dent Educ 1991; 55(2): 138-44.
  16. Ayranci U. AIDS knowledge and attitudes in a Turkish population: an epidemiological study. BMC Public Health 2005; 5: 95.
  17. Tefera B, Challi J, Yoseph M. HIV Sero-prevalence among students Jimma University, Southwest Ethiopia. Ethiop J Health Sci 2004; 14: 65-74.
  18. Rad M, Hashemipour MS, Alizadeh A. Knowledge and attitudes of a group of patients referred to a dental center about AIDS. J Dent Shiraz Univ Med Sci 2009; 10(2): 144-51. [In Persian].
  19. Al-Serouri AW, Takioldin M, Oshish H, Aldobaibi A, Abdelmajed A. Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about HIV/AIDS in Sana'a, Yemen. East Mediterr Health J 2002; 8(6): 706-15.
  20. Montazeri A. AIDS knowledge and attitudes in Iran: results from a population-based survey in Tehran. Patient Educ Couns 2005; 57(2): 199-203.
  21. Ramphoma KJ, Naidoo S. Knowledge, attitudes and practices of oral health care workers in Lesotho regarding the management of patients with oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS. SADJ 2014; 69(10): 446, 448-6, 453.
  22. AlMuzaini AA, Yahya AS, Ellepola AN, Sharma PN. HIV/AIDS: dental assistants' self-reported knowledge and attitudes in Kuwait. Int Dent J 2015; 65(2): 96-102.
  23. Prabhu A, Rao AP, Reddy V, Krishnakumar R, Thayumanavan S, Swathi SS. HIV/AIDS knowledge and its implications on dentists. J Nat Sci Biol Med 2014; 5(2): 303-7.
  24. Jaiswal S, Magar BS, Thakali K, Pradhan A, Gurubacharya DL. HIV/AIDS and STI related knowledge, attitude and practice among high school students in Kathmandu valley. Kathmandu Univ Med J (KUMJ) 2005; 3(1): 69-75.
  25. McCarthy GM, Koval JJ, MacDonald JK. Factors associated with refusal to treat HIV-infected patients: the results of a national survey of dentists in Canada. Am J Public Health 1999; 89(4): 541-5.
  26. Rankin KV, Jones DL, Rees TD. Attitudes of dental practitioners and dental students towards AIDS patients and infection control. Am J Dent 1993; 6(1): 22-6.
  27. Solomon ES, Gray CF, Gerbert B. Issues in the dental care management of patients with bloodborne infectious diseases: an opinion survey of dental school seniors. J Dent Educ 1991; 55(9): 594-7.
  28. Brook U, Heim M, Alkalay Y. Attitude and knowledge of high school pupils in Holon (Israel) toward AIDS. Isr J Med Sci 1994; 30(9): 699-705.
  29. Agrawal HK, Rao RS, Chandrashekar S, Coulter JB. Knowledge of and attitudes to HIV/AIDS of senior secondary school pupils and trainee teachers in Udupi District, Karnataka, India. Ann Trop Paediatr 1999; 19(2): 143-9.
  30. Merakou K, Costopoulos C, Marcopoulou J, Kourea-Kremastinou J. Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour after 15 years of HIV/AIDS prevention in schools. Eur J Public Health 2002; 12(2): 90-3.
  31. Krasnik A, Wangel M. AIDS and Danish adolescents--knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour relevant to the prevention of HIV-infection. Dan Med Bull 1990; 37(3): 275-9.
  32. Ross MW. Distribution of knowledge of AIDS: a national study. Soc Sci Med 1988; 27(11): 1295-8.