The subgingival microbiota in 14 persons with HIV‐periodontitis was examined. Subgingival plaque samples were collected with paper points, transported in VMGA III, and plated on anaerobic enriched brucella blood agar and various selective media. HIVperiodontitis sites revealed Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Wolinella recta, Peptostreptococcus micros, and Bacteroides intermedias, each averaging 7% to 16% of the cultivable subgingival flora in positive patients. High levels of spirochetes also were detected in diseased sites with phase‐contrast microscopy. Low levels of Candida albicans or enteric Gram‐negative rods were recovered in the subgingival flora in 7 HIVperiodontitis patients or Bacteroides fragilis, Fusobacterium necrophorum, Fusobacterium varium, and Eubacterium aerofaciens were recovered in 8 patients. These findings suggest that the major components of the subgingival microbial flora in HIV‐periodontitis are similar to those associated with adult periodontitis in systemically healthy persons. However, HIV‐periodontitis lesions also may contain organisms which are rarely found in common types of periodontitis. The etiological significance of specific periodontal organisms in HIV‐periodontitis awaits further longitudinal study. J Periodontol 1991;62:74– 81.

Oral HIV rapid testing is potentially well suited to the dental setting. Although our analysis identified many predictors of dentists' willingness to offer screening, there are many barriers, including dentists' perceptions of patients' acceptance, that must be addressed before such screening is likely to be widely implemented.

No abstract

We used data from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey to examine the potential role of dental care in reaching untested individuals at self-reported risk for HIV. An estimated 3.6 million Americans report that they are at significant HIV risk yet have never been HIV tested. Three quarters of these people have seen a dentist within the past 2 years. Dental care offers opportunities to serve at-risk individuals who are otherwise unlikely to be tested or to receive preventive care services.

The inclusion of brief, focused IPV interventions in dental education and the establishment of collaborations between dentists and IPV agencies for referral mechanisms, in conjunction with an overall shift in dentists' attitudes about their professional responsibilities, may facilitate IPV screening uptake in the dental setting.

Despite increasing discussion about the dental care setting as a logical, potentially fruitful venue for rapid HIV testing, dentists' willingness to take on this task is unclear. Semistructured interviews with 40 private practice dentists revealed their principal concerns regarding offering patients HIV testing were false results, offending patients, viewing HIV testing as outside the scope of licensure, anticipating low patient acceptance of HIV testing in a dental setting, expecting inadequate reimbursement, and potential negative impact on the practice. Dentists were typically not concerned about transmission risks, staff opposition to testing, or making referrals for follow-up after a positive result. A larger cultural change may be required to engage dentists more actively in primary prevention and population-based HIV screening.

Aims The dental setting is a potentially valuable venue for screening for substance misuse. Therefore, we assessed dentists’ inquiry of substance misuse through their patient medical history forms and their agreement with the compatibility of screening as part of the dentists’ professional role. Design A nationally representative survey of general dentists using a sampling frame obtained from the American Dental Association Survey Center (November 2010 – November 2011). Setting United States of America Participants 1,802 general dentists Measurements A 38 item survey instrument assessing the relationship between dentists’ practice, knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes with their query about substance misuse and their belief that such screening is part of their professional role. Findings Dentists who accepted substance misuse screening as part of their professional role were more likely to query about misuse with their patients (85.8%) compared with those who did not accept such screening as part of their role (68.2%) (p<0.001). Prior experience and knowledge about substance misuse were the strongest predictors of dentists’ inquiry about patient substance use/misuse and acceptance of screening as part of their role in their clinical practice (p<0.05). Conclusion While more than three quarters of U.S. dentists-report that they ask their patients about substance misuse, two-thirds do not agree that such screening is compatible with their professional role.

Innovative strategies are needed to increase access to and retention in oral health care for PLWHA. Key areas for action include developing strategies to reduce costs, increase access, and reduce personal barriers to receiving dental care, particularly considering the impact of poor oral health in this population.