SELF-DISCLOSURE EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE WITH HIV-INFECTION IN DEDICATED AND MAINSTREAMED DENTAL FACILITIES

Objectives: People infected with HIV choose dental care in dedicated o r mainstreamed facilities. In this study, people with HIV were asked w hether they sought care in dedicated or mainstreamed dental facilities , their reasons for choosing this source of care, their HIV disclosure experiences, and what, if any, consequences the disclosure had on acc ess to dental care. Methods: Patients in a dedicated AIDS medical clin ic (n=84) responded to questions in a telephone survey. The sample was predominantly gay, white males with symptomatic HIV infection, from r andomly chosen clinic appointments. Results: The study found that 67.6 percent of respondents who had seen a dentist since their HIV diagnos is chose mainstreamed dental facilities. The majority of study partici pants (70%) disclosed their HIV status. Of those subjects who chose di sclosure, discrimination was minimal (2.7%). Conclusions: Results sugg est support for public policy encouraging people with HIV to go to any dentist with whom they feel most comfortable and with whom they will receive the best possible care, regardless of whether the dentist prac tices in a dedicated or mainstreamed facility.