ABSTRACT
This was a descripitive cross- sectional study of which purpose was evaluation of the knowledge of patients in clinics of Mashhad dental school about AIDS. In this study 300 patients [40% male and 60% female] were randomly selected. To gather the information, a standard questionnaire including two parts was prepared. The first part was about personal information and the second part consisted of 24 questions on the nature, diagnostic methods, HIV transmission and Attitudes toward AIDS. Chi-square test and t-test were used for data analysis. The mean age of cases was 32.04 years and most of them had high school diploma or associate degree. 93.7% of the cases inhabited in the urban areas. The mean knowledge score in this study was 14.57 +/- 4.6 of the total 24 [24 questions]. The lowest level of knowledge as well as the attitudes belonged to the inhabitants of rural areas. There was no significant relationship between the level of general knowledge and sex, while we found a significant relationship between the level of general knowledge and marital status, age, education, occupation and the residence place. 75.3% of the cases in this study asked for diagnostic trials for AIDS before any dental treatment on all the patients. According to this study a more serious education on AIDS specially in rural groups must be considered, necessitating our efforts to modify the negative attitude toward AIDS