Attitudes of advanced dental education students toward individuals with AIDS

The number of patients with HIV/AIDS who receive dental care is increasing. This study was undertaken to gain a better understanding of the attitudes of dentists enrolled in postgraduate training toward AIDS and homosexuals. Each respondent received a 500-word patient case vignette and two scales for recording impressions of the person described in the vignette. There were four vignettes, identical except that the portrayed individual's illness was identified as either AIDS or leukemia and sexual preference as either homosexual or heterosexual. Two-way analyses of variance and t tests (p<.05) revealed a bias toward individuals with AIDS and toward homosexuals. Respondents reacted more negatively to both groups on the Social Interaction Scale as seen in total scale scores as well as to individual scale items. In addition, although overall Prejudicial Evaluation Scale scores displayed no evidence of bias, several individual scale items did. It is important to ensure that dentists' attitudes toward patients with AIDS and homosexuals are not a barrier to these patients receiving the best possible care. Therefore, dental education programs at all levels should give consideration to interventions to address provider attitudes and potential biases.