HRSA SPNS Initiative to increase oral health care access for people living with HIV/AIDS

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) do not receive adequate oral health care due to lack of funding, provider unwillingness to treat, or fear of going to the dentist; unmet oral health care needs among PLWHA are substantially higher than for the general population. We present baseline data gathered from the HRSA SPNS Oral Health Initiative in which 15 national sites develop innovative strategies for providing oral health care to more than 1000 targeted underserved PLWHA. Program models include use of mobile vans, expansion of existing programs to underserved communities, and use of dental case managers. Preliminary data indicate subjects with HIV/AIDS have median age of 46 and median time since testing positive of 11 years. 71% identify as male and 2% as transgender; 54% identify as black, 29% as white and 14% as Hispanic. About 25% live in temporary housing or are homeless; 76% are unemployed or disabled. More than half (54%) have not received oral health care in the past 2 years, 50% do not have a regular source of dental care, 66% rate the health of teeth and gums as fair or poor and 54% report that there was a time since testing positive that they needed dental care and did not get it. Primary reasons for not getting care included not being able to afford it (41%) and not being able to find an HIV friendly dentist (11%). Results suggest that innovative oral health care programs can engage underserved populations of PLWHA into needed oral health care.