Dentists' perspectives on patient acceptance of HIV screening in the dental care setting: Results from a nationally representative survey

BACKGROUND: Identification of undiagnosed persons with HIV infection is a public health challenge. The 2006 CDC guidelines recommend wide spread screening in a variety of health care settings. Prior research highlights the potential of the dental care setting as a promising venue for HIV screening of otherwise untested individuals. METHODS: We performed a nationally representative survey of general dentists that examined barriers and facilitators to offering oral HIV rapid testing at chair side (n=1802, 70% response rate). Forty- five percent of dentists had positive attitudes regarding patient acceptance of HIV screening in the dental care setting. We examined dentists' having a positive attitude using multivariable logistic regression controlling for potential confounders (age, gender, and race/ethnicity). RESULTS: Dentists' positive attitudes regarding patient acceptance of testing were positively associated with the following: Dentists' agreement with the importance for all persons at high risk to get tested for HIV annually (OR=1.3 for each unit increase in 4-point agreement scale - 95%CI: 1.1, 1.6); Agreement with "my colleagues' perception of me as a health care provider would improve" (OR=2.3 for each unit increase in 4-point agreement scale – 95%CI: 2.0, 2.8); Dentists with a positive assessment of their own clinical knowledge of HIV (OR=1.4 for each unit increase in the rating scale - 95%CI: 1.2, 1.6); Dentists' increasing age (OR=1.01 for each additional year -95%CI: 1.002, 1.02). CONCLUSIONS: Dentists with greater familiarity and engagement with HIV care were more likely to perceive greater patient acceptance in the dental care setting.