Risk communication in dental practice: responding assertively to AIDS, fear and infection control.

There is great value in applying the science of risk communication in contemporary dental practice. Dental professionals can respond most assertively to anxious patients by developing active listening skills while engaging patients' negative beliefs and attitudes regarding dental care in the age of AIDS. This paper addresses the need to reestablish dental professional confidence and credibility along with patient trust through a grass-roots effort of applying risk communication strategies for improved dental public relations. Recommendations are provided to enable dental professionals to achieve optimal success in responding to the psychological, emotional and economic challenges of AIDS, irrational fear, and media-driven concerns about dental office infection control.