Possible health care professional-to-patient HIV transmission. Dentists' reactions to a Centers for Disease Control report
B. Gerbert, T. Bleecker, C. Miyasaki and B. T. Maguire
Department of Dental Public Health and Hygiene, School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0754.
On July 27, 1990, the Centers for Disease Control reported possible
transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from a dentist to a
patient as a result of patient care. We surveyed a random national
probability sample of 300 dentists with a 26-item survey in August and
September 1990 to assess reactions to the report (response rate, 59%).
Respondents tended not to believe the report (mean was 3.2, median 3.0,
where 1 indicated "do not believe" and 7 indicated "believe"). Our sample
also tended to believe that transmission of HIV from dentists to patients
was unlikely in the future (mean was 2.0, median 2.0, where 1 indicated
"not at all likely" and 7 indicated "very likely"). Fifty-one percent of
our sample recommended that dentists infected with HIV should discontinue
practice, while 38% recommended continuing practice with changes in
procedures. Seventy-four percent believed patients should be told if their
dentist was infected with HIV. In summary, dentists doubted the possibility
of dentist-to-patient transmission of HIV and did not believe the Centers
for Disease Control case report, but they did believe infected dentists
should refrain from clinical work or modify their practice.