Dental care experience of HIV-positive patients

Three studies were conducted to assess the experiences of persons with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or risk factors for the disease in seeking dental care in Los Angeles; San Francisco; Seattle; and Tacoma, WA. Given previous reports from surveys of dentists that they would be reluctant to provide care to people from these groups, widespread denial of care was expected. Our two surveys conducted in San Francisco, however, showed that only 1.3% and 10.8% had been denied care by a dentist. These data suggest that dentist reactions to people with AIDS are more favorable than has previously been suggested, although denial of care is still a problem to some extent.