title: Knowledge and Attitude of Faculty Members Working in Dental Institutions towards the Dental Treatment of Patients with HIV/AIDS.
abstract: Background. Dentists have an ethical responsibility to provide treatment to HIV-infected patients, particularly because oral lesions are common among these patients. However, there are no official guidelines as to how to treat people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (PLWHA) or how to screen for potentially infectious people. Materials and Method. A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire based study which assessed the knowledge and attitude of the faculty members towards the treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS was carried out in the Sudha Rustagi College of Dental Sciences, Faridabad, and Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi. Results. The willingness to treat patients with HIV was found to be 86.0% among the faculty members in the present study. The majority (79%) of the faculty members thought that treating an HIV-positive patient is ethical responsibility of the dentist. There was a positive attitude (88.0%) among faculty members that routine dental care should be a part of the treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS. Conclusion. The level of knowledge regarding HIV and AIDS was acceptable in the present study. However, continuing dental education (CDE) programmes should be conducted on a regular basis for updating the knowledge level of the faculty members towards the dental treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS patients.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Dentistry Department, Sudha Rustagi College of Dental Sciences and Research, Faridabad, Haryana, India; Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University, Rohtak, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Sukhvinder Singh
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Oberoi
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, New Delhi, India; Hamdard University, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Nilima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Hamdard University, New Delhi, India; Public Health Dentistry Department, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, BS Zafar Marg, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Vikrant
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mohanty
authors.affiliation: Public Health Dentistry Department, Sudha Rustagi Dental College, Faridabad, India; Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University, Rohtak, India.
authors.forename: Charumohan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marya
authors.affiliation: Public Health Dentistry Department, Sudha Rustagi Dental College, Faridabad, India; Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University, Rohtak, India.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rekhi
authors.affiliation: Oberoi Dental Clinic and Orthodontic Centre, Tagore Garden, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Avneet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oberoi