Factors associated with Mexico City dentists' willingness to treat AIDS/HIV-positive patients

• Published in: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology and endodontics oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology and endodontics, 1998-08, Vol.86 (2), p.169-174
• Main Authors: Irigoyen, María, Zepeda, Marco, López-Cámara, Victor
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - prevention & control; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - transmission; Adult; AIDS/HIV; Analysis of Variance; Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitude to Health; Biological and medical sciences; Confidence Intervals; Costs and Cost Analysis; Dental Care for Chronically Ill; Dentistry; Education, Dental; Female; Forecasting; Gloves, Surgical; Head and neck surgery. Maxillofacial surgery. Dental surgery. Orthodontics; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Infections - transmission; HIV Seropositivity; Humans; Infection Control - economics; Infection Control - methods; Logistic Models; Male; Maxillofacial surgery. Dental surgery. Orthodontics; Medical sciences; Mexico; Odds Ratio; Patients; Risk Assessment; Sterilization - instrumentation; Sterilization - methods; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 1079-2104; 1528-395X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1079-2104(98)90120-2

Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics and infection control practices of dentists in Mexico City in relation to their willingness to treat AIDS/HIV-positive patients. Study design. The population study encompassed Mexico City dentists who were selected according to a geographic criterion. A questionnaire was delivered personally to each participant, and multiple logistic regression was used for data analysis. Results. A total of 598 dentists participated in the study. The response rate was 99.3% ( 598 602 ). Seventy-four percent (444) of the dentists said they would be willing to treat AIDS/HIV-positive patients. Among the variables associated with the prediction of willingness to treat these patients were glove-wearing patterns (odds ratio, 2.39; confidence interval, 1.4-4.2), types of available sterilization equipment (odds ratio = 2.42; confidence interval, 1.4-4.1), fear of losing non-AIDS/HIV-positive patients (odds ratio = 4.28; confidence interval, 2.3–8.4), and risk perception of HIV transmission (odds ratio = 2.66; confidence interval, 1.5-4.9). An interaction was found between perception of risk of HIV transmission and increase in costs (odds ratio = 3.35; confidence interval, 1.3–8.9). Conclusions. Approximately 26% of the Mexico City dentists included in the study were not willing to treat AIDS/HIV-positive patients. Educational programs aimed at misperceptions appear to be warranted.