title: Attitudes, beliefs, and infection control practices of Iranian dentists associated with HIV-positive patients.
abstract: Of the 309 private dental practitioners in Fars, Iran, surveyed most, 77.7% believed they had a professional duty to treat HIV-positive patients, with 61.4% expressing some level of discomfort about treating these patients, and 75.1% believed they should be treated at a specialist practice. Gloves and masks were not always worn, 15.8% and 9.7%, respectively, and 70.2% of dentist washed their hands before treatment and 60.2% after treatment. Elementary standard precautions were not routinely implemented in private dental practices, despite high levels of concerns about transmission of infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. askariam@sums.ac.ir <askariam@sums.ac.ir>
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Askarian
authors.forename: Kamran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mirzaei
authors.forename: Mary-Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: McLaws
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005932:Gloves, Surgical; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006235:Hand Disinfection; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008397:Masks; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists'