Department of Public Health, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Front Public Health. 2024 Apr 4;12:1370112. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1370112. eCollection 2024.
In an era wherein, persuasive evidence continues to witness the association between systemic and periodontal diseases, the absence of scientific data on dental professionals' comprehension concerning the HIV infection and periodontal link is lamentably backward. Thus, the key objective of this research is to ascertain the extent of comprehension possessed by dentists and dental hygienists concerning periodontal implications and their management in HIV patients.
It is a quantitative cross-sectional survey employing a descriptive approach focusing on a specific cohort of dental professionals. The study setting featured an online platform for the distribution of concealed, closed-ended, structured questionnaire. The data was gathered for four sections: six comprehension statements about periodontal manifestations in HIV patients; fifteen comprehension statements about HIV patients' periodontal management; eight familiarity statements about HIV management; and two educational statements about HIV. The comparisons of comprehension scores were drawn between variables such as specialties, age groups, and genders.
The survey represented 468 dental professionals representing distinct dental specialties, with a mean age of 24.26 ± 7.53 years. The mean comprehension score for all groups of participants is 10.31 ± 9.34 (33.25%). The highest scores were recorded among those aged 31-40 (20.67 ± 8.31), followed by those aged 40+ (19.38 ± 9.39), 20-30 (9.53 ± 8.96), and under 20 (8.92 ± 8.57), at < 0.001. The female participants (15.06 ± 12.2) exhibited substantially better scores in contrast to the male participants (8.74 ± 7.57). Periodontists (27.77 ± 3.08) comprehended most, then the oral medicine practitioners (25 ± 0). Dental hygiene students (5.52 ± 3.56) and hygienists (7.67 ± 9.72) comprehended the least. The scores for all four domains assessed were disappointingly low: knowledge about HIV-periodontal manifestations (2.81 ± 2.18), knowledge about management of periodontal diseases in HIV patients (3.73 ± 4.7), familiarity with periodontal care in HIV patients (2.87 ± 3.01), and education received about HIV and periodontal diseases (0.91 ± 0.66).
Dental professionals are notably incomprehensive, unfamiliar, and lacking in expertise in the realm of periodontal facets of HIV. The periodontists and oral medicine practitioners showed a substantial amount of comprehension, while the dental hygiene students and dental hygienists presented a conspicuously inadequate level of comprehension. The study outcome could potentially serve as an invaluable instrument for self-assessment by dental professionals and educators. HIV/AIDS ought not to persist as an unspoken taboo or disregarded subject within the dental field, particularly in periodontics, but rather should receive prominence in dental schools and professional development programs.
在一个不断有有力证据表明系统性疾病和牙周病之间存在关联的时代，令人遗憾的是，关于牙科专业人员对 HIV 感染和牙周病联系的理解程度，仍然缺乏科学数据。因此，这项研究的主要目的是确定牙医和牙科保健员对 HIV 患者的牙周病影响及其管理的理解程度。
这是一项采用描述性方法的定量横断面调查，重点关注特定的牙科专业人员队列。研究地点是一个在线平台，用于分发隐蔽的、封闭式的、结构化的问卷。数据收集分为四个部分：关于 HIV 患者牙周表现的六个理解陈述；关于 HIV 患者牙周病管理的十五个理解陈述；关于 HIV 管理的八个熟悉陈述；以及关于 HIV 的两个教育陈述。对不同变量（专业、年龄组和性别）的理解分数进行了比较。
该调查代表了来自不同牙科专业的 468 名牙科专业人员，平均年龄为 24.26±7.53 岁。所有组别的参与者的平均理解分数为 10.31±9.34（33.25%）。年龄在 31-40 岁的参与者得分最高（20.67±8.31），其次是 40 岁以上的参与者（19.38±9.39）、20-30 岁的参与者（9.53±8.96）和 20 岁以下的参与者（8.92±8.57），差异具有统计学意义（p<0.001）。女性参与者（15.06±12.2）的得分明显优于男性参与者（8.74±7.57）。牙周病专家（27.77±3.08）理解最多，其次是口腔医学从业者（25±0）。牙科保健学生（5.52±3.56）和保健员（7.67±9.72）理解最少。评估的四个领域的分数都很低：对 HIV-牙周表现的了解（2.81±2.18），对 HIV 患者牙周病管理的了解（3.73±4.7），对 HIV 患者牙周护理的熟悉程度（2.87±3.01），以及关于 HIV 和牙周病的教育（0.91±0.66）。
牙科专业人员在 HIV 的牙周方面明显缺乏理解、不熟悉和缺乏专业知识。牙周病专家和口腔医学从业者表现出相当程度的理解，而牙科保健学生和牙科保健员则表现出明显不足的理解。研究结果可以作为牙科专业人员和教育者进行自我评估的宝贵工具。HIV/AIDS 不应在口腔领域，特别是牙周病领域继续成为一个未被提及的禁忌或被忽视的话题，而应在牙科学院和专业发展计划中得到重视。
