Survey at urban college indicates compliance

While the emergence of AIDS and associated barrier controls has impacted on dental practice, little inquiry has been undertaken to explore changes in clinical teaching. The purpose of this study was 1) to determine if any changes in teaching behavior have occurred, and 2) to explore attitudes of clinical faculty concerning controls. A questionnaire was sent to all clinical faculty at an urban college of dentistry. Most faculty reported being aware of and complying with control protocols. Although the majority of respondents (62 percent) reported spending the same amount of time with students and patients before and after barrier controls, a substantial number reported spending more time with students and patients implementing control techniques and less time in physical contact with patients and demonstrating dental procedures. The majority of the faculty felt the college's barrier controls were about right, although some recommended specific additions and deletions. Attitudinal responses were quite varied and often emotional, ranging from "No matter what we do, it can never be enough" to "It's ridiculous."