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

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.
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.
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).
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.