A diagnosis of AIDS: understanding the psychosocial impact.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was discovered in 1981. It is now estimated that 1.5 million persons have become infected and that, by the year 1991, there will be 270,000 cases of the disease and 179,000 associated deaths. An extraordinary aspect of the AIDS epidemic is the high level of fear manifested by large numbers of people, in a manner disproportionate to the objective threat. AIDS has been referred to in the press as the greatest public health problem in America today. While dental journals are replete with studies enumerating the oral manifestations, and appropriate infection control guidelines, the psychosocial aspects of AIDS have generally been confined to media reports. Appropriate dental management of patients at high risk for the development of AIDS/AIDS-related complex requires a complete understanding of the psychosocial environment confronting these persons.