Exploring alternative health services for HIV screening of high risk individuals

摘要

Visits to dental clinics are more frequent than to integrated counselling and testing centres (ICTCs). The authors explored the opportunity for dental healthcare providers to screen their patients for HIV. Oral fluid can be tested for HIV. This simple and minimally invasive test, which gives results in 20 minutes, is highly sensitive, specific and cost-effective. The researchers used data from the United States 2005 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to investigate whether persons at self-identified risk for HIV visit dental clinics. They also explored whether dental clinics reach at-risk persons who have not been tested in other clinical settings. NHIS, a large, nationally representative survey of the US population, is conducted annually. The survey includes self-reported information on healthcare utilization including visits to dental offices and recent HIV testing.