Knowledge, Attitude, and Willingness to Treat HIV positive Patients and Practice of Infection Control Measures and Post-exposure prophylaxis amongst dentists in Chengalpattu

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and willingness towards the treatment of HIV-positive patients, Practice of Post-exposure prophylaxis methods, and standard infection control protocol among dentists and dental students in Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, India Materials and methods : A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was done using Google Forms. 200 dentists and dental students in the clinical part of the dentistry program (years 4 and 5) in Chengalpattu participated in the study Results : Amongst the 200 dentists surveyed, 88% say that they are willing to treat HIV-positive patients. Only 21% know the immediate action to be taken in case of direct blood contact with HIV positive patient (i.e.) anti-AIDS drugs such as Zidovudine should be taken. Our interpretation of Practice of infection control methods as per OSHA regulations is that 97.5% of dentists wear gloves to treat or screen all patients, 89.5% dentists use aprons/ gowns as personal protective equipment, 78.5% dentists use goggles to prevent accidental exposure to eyes, 97% dentists wash their hands after handling every patient and 85.5% dentists never bend or recap needles after use. Conclusion : Dentists need better training on HIV post-exposure prophylaxis methods due to knowledge gaps, impacting their comfort in treating PLWHAs. This study suggests awareness campaigns and training programs to bridge this gap and improve their competence and confidence.