Knowledge of the human immunodeficiency virus among final year dental students

A sound basis of knowledge about HIV infection and AIDS is essential to allow students to develop as dentists who undertake appropriate measures during clinical practice. In addition, it is also likely that possessing appropriate information may instil confidence in their own ability to diagnose and then manage patients infected by HIV. A questionnaire designed to test the knowledge of final year dental students in the UK was completed by 60.5% of students in 15 out of the 16 dental schools in the UK. Generally, the students rated the teaching they had received about cross-infection precautions, virology, sterilization practice and procedures and recognition of blood-borne virus risk groups as adequate or more than adequate. However, there was a lower degree of satisfaction expressed for instruction in the management of blood-borne virus carriers and the performance of barrier dentistry. Most dental students were aware of the association of hairy leukoplakia, oral Kaposi's sarcoma, oral candidiasis as a whole, and thrush as one clinical variant, with HIV infection but there was a much lower level of knowledge of erythematous candidiasis, HIV-associated salivary gland disease, oral melanotic hyperpigmentation and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. This study highlights some important gaps in the knowledge of final year dental students about HIV and AIDS.