We conducted a focus group with eight surrogate teaching patients who participate in an HIV/AIDS training program for dentists and auxiliaries. With one exception, these surrogate patients were HIV‐seropositive, had taken part in eight training sessions over six months, and had been examined by about forty groups of trainees. Researchers inquired about how surrogate patients could tell if the trainees were afraid or comfortable, what negative experiences with trainees occurred or stood out, and what positive experiences were recalled or stood out. Theme analysis was used to interpret the results of the focus group. The main signifiers of clinician discomfort were related to physical distance, avoidance of physical contact, verbal interaction, and what we call “dentist interaction.” The results suggest that training of dentists and other dental personnel to interact with patients with HIV/AIDS should attend to reduction of patients' psychological distress as well as management of any physical discomfort. The feedback from surrogate patients with HIV disease who have experienced a large number of dental examinations is a valuable tool for providing feedback to, and insight into, the factors that cause psychological discomfort to patients with HIV disease.

This study examined how differences in infection control procedures and patients' perceived knowledge of infection control, and how AIDS and hepatitis might affect attitudes toward the use of such measures. Patients receiving treatment at two sites where the methods of infection control and the frequency of their use differed (dental school and private dental practices) were surveyed concerning their approval/acceptance of infection control measures and self‐report of knowledge concerning infectious disease and possible transmission of infectious disease during dental treatment. Data were collected from 379 patients, 272 from the dental school and 107 from five private practices. A high percentage (95 percent) of both dental school and private patients felt they were adequately protected, while fewer than 2 percent expressed anxiety about infection control procedures being used in either setting. Factors such as gender, age, and years of formal education did not significantly affect attitudes toward infection control measures, but age and education were correlated with perceived knowledge of infectious diseases. Patients' reported knowledge of infectious disease had a significant effect on their decision to leave a practice if the dentist was HIV positive. A significantly higher percentage of dental school patients felt that barrier infection control techniques should be used routinely. Patients treated where such techniques were not routinely used nevertheless expressed satisfaction with that level of protection, implying that patients tend to accept the level of infection control being practiced where they receive treatment.