HIV and AIDs: update for dentistry.

The start of the AIDS pandemic was first recognized in the United States in 1981; however, the epidemic began in sub-Saharan Africa, a region that now accounts for more than two-thirds of the world's total infections. Since that time, more than 67 million people have been infected and more than 25 million have died worldwide. This article reviews the current status of the epidemic in the U.S. and details the disease's impact on dentistry in this country as well as appropriate patient management.