Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Limited research has been conducted to identify barriers to dentists’readiness in providing oral health care for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in Southeast Asia and Viet Nam. This study aimed to evaluate the readiness of dentists in providing oral health care for PLWH in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A total of 414 dentists participated in this cross sectional study, with an average age of 39.17 ± 11.52 years and an average professional experience of 14.10 ± 11.37 years. The online fill-in-the-blank questionnaire with 10 items related to dentists’readiness in providing oral health care services for PLWH was sent to the study participants. Results revealed that 35.75% of dentists were willing to treat HIV/AIDS patients, 41.30% held neutral opinions, and 22.95% were unwilling. The majority of dentists (77.29%) were aware of ART therapy, but only 4.83% perceived themselves as having adequate knowledge of each treatment protocol for HIV/AIDS patients. Additionally, 22.71% had no knowledge of ART therapy. Concerningly, 77.05% believed in the risk of transmission during ART treatment, with varying perceptions of risk: 18.60% high, 16.18% moderate, and 42.27% low. Furthermore, 10.14% perceived almost no risk, and 12.80% were unsure or lacked knowledge. Dentists’opinions about providing oral health care for people living with HIV/AIDS will offer valuable insights for developing strategies tailored to this special community.
Hung et al. (Wed,) studied this question.