Access to Dental Services by People Living with HIV/AIDS: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bahia, Brazil, 2024

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to assess access to dental services by people living with HIV/AIDS in Bahia, Brazil, and its associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a convenience sample involving 145 people living with HIV/AIDS in Bahia, recruited from an HIV/AIDS referral center and members of two social organizations. Results: Most participants were cisgender men (41.8%), lived in the capital (80.0%), and had a mean age of 44 years (±11.8). More than half had visited a dentist within the previous year (56.2%), mainly for routine or maintenance care (52.4%). Non-disclosure of HIV serological status to dentists was reported by 63.6% of participants and was significantly associated with lower educational attainment (p = 0.03). Never having attended a dental appointment was significantly more frequent among black and brown individuals (p = 0.04), non-binary participants (p = 0.03), and those with fewer years of schooling (p = 0.008). Conclusions: The results showed inequality in access to oral health care among people with HIV/AIDS in Bahia, influenced by factors such as race, schooling, and gender. Despite economic, geographical, and structural barriers, more than half of the participants had consulted a dentist in the past year and received guidance on the disease's oral manifestations.