title: Australian dentists' perspectives on rapid HIV testing.
abstract: Fourteen per cent of people living with HIV in Australia, as in other countries, are not aware of their infection or their infective status. Dentists have the necessary expertise and are well-placed for access by those sections of the population who would not normally access screening for HIV.
  
  
  
  A national cross-sectional online survey of 532 Australian dentists was conducted during the period June to October 2013. We surveyed dentists' understanding and willingness to undertake rapid HIV testing (RHT).
  
  
  
  The majority of respondents (65.1%) believed that RHT was needed in dental clinics, with approximately two-thirds of respondents indicating that RHT should be made available immediately. If RHT was to be undertaken in a dental setting, 51.1% of dentists thought that it should be conducted on saliva only, as opposed to blood or blood/saliva. Only 21.9% of dentists would currently be comfortable advising a patient of a reactive (i.e. positive) result indicative of HIV infection, with male dentists (26.1% comfortable) more comfortable than female dentists (17.5% comfortable) (p = 0.009).
  
  
  
  The majority of respondents were willing to provide RHT in their community settings. However, our data indicate that dentists would need additional training in HIV medicine, test administration and giving reactive results.
authors: Department of Health Professions, School of Health Professions and Health Sciences, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, USA.
authors: A J
authors: AJ
authors: Santella
authors: Sydney School of Public Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: T E
authors: TE
authors: Schlub
authors: Department of Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Special Care Dentistry, Westmead Centre for Oral Health, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.|Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Schifter
authors: School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Tolani
authors: Western Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: R J
authors: RJ
authors: Hillman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003815:Dentists; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic
keywords: AIDS; HIV testing; dentists; saliva; survey