A Survey of Oral Health Knowledge and Behavior among HIV-infected Patients / 昆明医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To assess oral health knowledge and behaviors of self-care among HIV infected patients in Yunnan, China. Methods Questionnaire survey was performed to collect the information about behaviors of oral self-care and seeking medical advice and diets of 216 HIV-infected patients who came from the Third Hospital of Kunming. The data were then statistically analyzed. Results Half of the patients were diagnosed over six months. The smoking of the HIV-positive were serious and the gingival bleeding was less, but there was obvious discomfort in oral cavity when eating. In addition,the standard method of cleaning teeth was below 20%, less of 50%patients could clean the oral cavity in time after diet and they didn't replace their toothbrushes timely. Over half of patients asked artificial tooth and exodontias on treatment. Conclusion It is necessary to pay more attention to the oral health knowledge and self-care behaviors of HIV-infected patients so as to improve the quality of life.