Knowledge level of dentists and students on HIV patient' s dental treatment in Brazil: Literature review

ABSTRACT

Background: Despite the low risk of contamination, fear and discrimination among dentists and students in relation to people infected with HIV could result in violation of some ethical precepts. Objective: The objective of this study was to review the knowledge level and attitudes of dentists and students in the dental care of patients with HIV. Methods: The last 20 years of specialized literature was consulted in the Virtual Health Libraries of Medline and Lilacs sources during the period between May 1999 and May 2019. A wide search strategy was used to avoid missing information: "Dentistry" and "HIV", registered in the Descriptors in Health Sciences. Results: The search in the database resulted in 1058 articles. Screening of titles and abstracts resulted in 14 articles. After the complete reading, 12 articles fit the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conclusion: Based on the methodology used, it was possible to conclude that the analysis of the selected articles showed that there is still much to be done in the training and in the performance of dentists and students regarding prejudice and willingness to offer dental care for HIV patients.