Symbolic illustration of dental students providing compassionate care to a patient with HIV, emphasizing safety and inclusivity.

Bridging the Gap: Understanding Dental Students' Attitudes Towards HIV+ Patients

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Samir D’Costa in Health & Wellness November 2026 • 5 min read.

"How can we improve dental care for HIV+ patients? A new study reveals the attitudes of dental students in Cali, Colombia, and highlights the need for better training and reduced stigma."


In Colombia, the rising prevalence of HIV presents ongoing challenges, with the Valle del Cauca region reporting a significant number of cases. While multidisciplinary efforts are crucial for providing care to individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, negative attitudes among healthcare professionals and the stigma surrounding the condition often hinder these efforts. This can directly impact the quality of healthcare received by those affected.

Oral health is integral to the overall well-being of patients with HIV. Ensuring they receive appropriate and timely dental treatment can significantly improve their quality of life. However, studies indicate that a notable percentage of oral health professionals and students harbor negative attitudes toward treating HIV+ patients.

Perceived danger, stemming from the fear of infection, is a primary reason behind reluctance. While knowledge of the disease and safety measures may be present, some professionals believe caring for these patients is not their responsibility, or they worry about increased costs. This underscores the urgent need for research and interventions to address these attitudes and improve access to dental care for HIV+ patients in Colombia.

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HIV as a Manageable Chronic Condition

The World Health Organization reports that there is currently no cure for HIV infection. However, effective HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care, including care for opportunistic infections, have made HIV a manageable chronic health condition. With access to these services, people living with HIV can lead long and healthy lives.

Unveiling the Attitudes: Key Findings from Cali's Dental Schools

Symbolic illustration of dental students providing compassionate care to a patient with HIV, emphasizing safety and inclusivity.

A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 1,173 dental students from three dental schools in Santiago de Cali, Colombia. The study used an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire adapted from a previously validated version used in the Dominican Republic. The survey explored students' attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, and understanding of biosafety protocols related to treating patients with HIV.

Here’s a breakdown of the key findings:

  • Positive Intentions: The study revealed that the majority of students (86% to 92%) demonstrated positive attitudes toward treating HIV+ patients. Pre-clinical students showed the most favorable disposition.
  • Willingness to Treat: A significant 88.7% expressed a willingness to treat HIV+ patients.
  • Concerns about Staff: Among students who felt it would be difficult for their support staff to accept treating HIV+ patients, only 33% were still willing to proceed (p=0.03). This highlights a need for comprehensive education and support for all members of the dental team.
  • Gaps in Training: A significant portion of students, particularly those in pre-clinical (82.2%) and clinical (66.7%) stages, felt they had not received adequate training on managing HIV/AIDS patients (p<0.001).
  • Responsibility Perception: While most students felt a professional responsibility to treat HIV+ patients, this perception was lower among those in their final clinical rotations (p=0.013).
  • Biosafety Measures: A notable percentage admitted they would not treat all patients as if they were HIV+ carriers, and some would alter their biosafety measures if a patient was known to have HIV or hepatitis B (p<0.001). This reveals inconsistencies in applying universal precautions.
  • Saliva Transmission Beliefs: Over 70% incorrectly believed HIV could not be transmitted through saliva (p=0.007).
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Recent Dental Student Research

A 2026 cross-sectional study assessed preclinical and clinical dental students’ knowledge and attitudes toward HIV/AIDS. Its scope included oral manifestations, transmission routes, diagnostic concepts, and stigmatizing beliefs. The same study description appears in both PubMed and the European Journal of Dental Education. Related research emphasizes that increasing numbers of people with HIV/AIDS receiving oral and dental care make adequate student knowledge and professionally appropriate attitudes important.

Students and Interns Compared

A comparative cross-sectional study examined knowledge, attitude, and concern about HIV/AIDS among 112 final-year dental students and 112 interns from ten dental colleges in Bangalore. Its reported findings indicate that dental interns had slightly higher knowledge, attitude, and concern than final-year students. The study also identified a need to include HIV/AIDS patient infection-control measures in the dental curriculum. Separate research compares HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes across genders and clinical levels, including second-, third-, and fourth- to seventh-year students.

These findings highlight a complex interplay of positive intentions, knowledge gaps, and persistent stigmas. While students generally express a willingness to treat HIV+ patients, concerns about staff acceptance, inadequate training, and inconsistent application of biosafety measures create barriers to optimal care.

Recommendations: Building a More Inclusive Dental Environment

The study underscores the need for improved training and education for dental students in Cali, Colombia, to reduce fears and enhance positive attitudes toward treating HIV+ patients. By addressing knowledge gaps, promoting consistent application of biosafety measures, and fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment for both students and staff, dental schools can play a vital role in ensuring equitable access to quality oral healthcare for all.

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From Beliefs to Clinical Behavior

Dental care has remained an unmet need for people living with HIV/AIDS. Research on dental students treats them as part of the future healthcare workforce and examines how ethical beliefs may shape discriminatory attitudes toward providing care. A 2022 study specifically investigated the attitudes and behavior of clinical dental students in caring for patients with HIV/AIDS. Together, these sources connect students’ beliefs and attitudes with the practical delivery of oral care.

Ethics and Access to Dental Care

Dental care has remained an unmet need for people living with HIV/AIDS. The study of dental students’ ethical beliefs and attitudes examines how these views may affect willingness to provide care to people living with HIV/AIDS. Its stated concern is that discriminatory beliefs among future healthcare professionals may contribute to negative attitudes toward treating these individuals. This frames stigma as an ethical and systemic challenge within dental education and care delivery.

Teaching That Shapes Attitudes

A pilot study titled “HIV Teaching: A dental curriculum which fosters knowledge and attitude” explored dental students’ views of current HIV-related teaching. It also assessed the impact of that teaching. The study’s objectives place curriculum design at the center of efforts to influence both knowledge and attitudes. This highlights the human importance of how future dental professionals are prepared to care for patients with HIV.

How willingness compares across dental settings

  • 84% of participantsA United Kingdom comparison reported willingness among 84% of participants, offering a further reference point for responses to providing care.[1]
  • 78.4%; 1%In that same survey, 78.4% of students had excellent knowledge, but only 1% were classified as having professional attitudes toward treatment.[2]
  • 14.9%; 78.5%; 6.6%Observed behavior in Tehran differed from what broad willingness measures capture: 14.9% agreed to treat simulated HIV-positive patients, while 78.5% referred them and 6.6% rejected them.[3]

What willingness scores do and do not show

Across these sources, willingness is not a single uniform outcome: an answer about treating without doubt, a positive score, and agreement to provide care describe different thresholds or measures. The differences therefore do not by themselves establish that one student group or setting is more willing than another.[1] [4] [5]

Responses to a questionnaire cannot be assumed to predict care behavior: observed interactions with simulated patients produced a different picture, and self-reported attitudes may not reflect actual conduct.[3]

How survey findings relate to behavior and training

The Iranian student questionnaire was distributed at a dental student congress, and its response rate was 60.7%; its results therefore describe respondents rather than necessarily representing every student invited.[2]

Another student assessment included only third- through fifth-year students, whose program stages included basic dental sciences and later clinical training. Its scope does not cover students in every year of dental education.[6]

A source attributes fear of treating people living with HIV to gaps in knowledge about transmission. Separately, a review found patient testimonials and peer education more promising than lecture-based approaches; these findings connect knowledge and teaching format to the wider question of stigma without establishing which approach changes behavior in every setting.[7] [8]

Standard Precautions apply across patient care regardless of suspected or confirmed infection status, and education and training are described as critical to appropriate decisions and compliance. This frames consistent infection prevention as a general practice rather than a response limited to known HIV status.[9]

What remains unclear about stigma and care

  • Would education that includes patient testimonials or peer strategies change behavior as well as knowledge and attitudes? The reviewed interventions favor those formats over lectures, but the cited finding does not establish their effects in every dental training context.[8] [9]
  • How do stigma and social awareness shape the quality of oral care received by people living with HIV? A source describes stigma as detrimental to oral care, but the evidence here does not specify how that effect varies across clinical settings.[10]

Sources

  1. Role of ethical beliefs and attitudes of dental students in providing care for HIV/AIDS patients (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  2. Iranian dental students' knowledge of and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS patients. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  3. Tehran dentists' self-reported knowledge and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS and observed willingness to treat simulated HIV-positive patients. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  4. Indonesian Dental Students' Attitudes, Knowledge, Preparation, and Willingness to Treat HIV/AIDS Patients (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  5. Dentists' and dental students' attitudes, knowledge, preparedness, and willingness related to treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS in China. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  6. Assessing the levels of HIV-related knowledge and attitudes toward HIV | HIV | Dove Medical Press (www.dovepress.com)
  7. Assessing the levels of HIV-related knowledge and attitudes toward HIV-infected patients among undergraduate dental students: a cross-sectional study (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  8. HIV Stigma Reduction Interventions Among Health Care Providers and Students in Different Countries: A Systematic Review. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  9. Standard Precautions | Dental Infection Prevention and Control | CDC (www.cdc.gov)
  10. STIGMA AROUND HIV IN DENTAL CARE: PATIENTS' EXPERIENCES. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

About this Article -

Written with AI assistance from published research, and reviewed by the Mystum team. See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

1

What were the main issues found in the attitudes of dental students towards treating patients with HIV?

The study in Cali, Colombia, revealed that while most dental students have positive intentions toward treating HIV+ patients, significant gaps exist. Many students, especially in pre-clinical and clinical stages, feel inadequately trained in managing HIV/AIDS patients. Additionally, some students would alter biosafety measures if a patient was known to have HIV or hepatitis B, showing inconsistencies in applying universal precautions. Addressing these gaps through enhanced training and consistent biosafety protocols is essential for improving dental care.

2

What factors contribute to negative attitudes among dental students toward treating HIV+ patients?

The most significant factor appears to be perceived danger stemming from fear of infection. This fear, coupled with the incorrect belief that HIV can be transmitted through saliva, leads to reluctance in treating HIV+ patients. Furthermore, concerns about staff acceptance and the perception that caring for these patients might not be their responsibility also play a role. Overcoming these barriers requires education, support for dental teams, and reinforcement of professional responsibilities.

3

Why are the attitudes of dental students important in the context of treating HIV+ patients?

The attitudes of dental students significantly impact the quality of care received by HIV+ patients. Negative attitudes and stigma can lead to reluctance in providing treatment, inconsistent application of biosafety measures, and ultimately, poorer oral health outcomes for these patients. Since oral health is integral to the overall well-being of individuals with HIV, ensuring dental professionals have positive attitudes and adequate training is essential for equitable healthcare access. Positive attitudes helps to avoid discrimination in health care environments and ensure appropriate health management.

4

What role do biosafety measures play in providing dental care to HIV+ patients, and how are they viewed?

Biosafety measures are critical in dentistry, especially when treating HIV+ patients. The study found that some students would alter their biosafety protocols if a patient was known to have HIV, which contradicts universal precautions. Consistently applying these precautions, such as wearing personal protective equipment and properly sterilizing instruments, protects both the healthcare provider and the patient. Reinforcing adherence to biosafety measures ensures a safe and equitable treatment environment for all patients, regardless of their HIV status.

5

Based on the findings, what are the recommended steps to improve the dental care environment for HIV+ patients?

The study suggests several recommendations, primarily focusing on improved training and education for dental students. This includes addressing knowledge gaps about HIV transmission, reinforcing the importance of universal biosafety precautions, and promoting a more inclusive and supportive environment for both students and staff. Additionally, addressing concerns about staff acceptance and reinforcing the professional responsibility to treat HIV+ patients can further enhance positive attitudes and improve the quality of dental care provided.

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