What the dentist should know about a patient with HIV/AIDS

Chances are good that oral health care providers will treat someone with diagnosed or undiagnosed HIV during their careers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 650,000 to 900,000 U.S. residents are living with HIV infection, more than 200,000 of whom are unaware of their infection. As with any medical condition, it is possible for a dentist to do great harm by ignoring systemic manifestations of HIV. On the other hand, dentists who are ignorant of modern HIV disease management often request unnecessary medical consultations resulting in dental treatment delays. Since 1996, the growing use of highly active anti-retroviral therapy and ultrasensitive viral load testing has changed the picture of the dental patient with HIV. The goal of this article is to update and summarize information the oral health care provider needs to safely treat a person with HIV/AIDS. It is not intended to replace previous comprehensive publications on HIV and dentistry, as they are still excellent resources for information. Here, simple instructions for physical evaluation of a patient with HIV/AIDS will be presented and steps for determining safe procedures explained.