Abstract

BALWANTH, S  and  SINGH, S. Dental patients' knowledge, attitudes and experiences related to voluntary counselling and testing for HIV in the dental setting in eThekwini district, KwaZulu-Natal. S. Afr. dent. j. [online]. 2024, vol.79, n.2, pp.69-74. ISSN 0375-1562.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/sadj.v79i02.16751.

INTRODUCTION: Globally, the number of people unaware of their HIV status, and the rate of transmission of the disease, remains high. Scaling up of HIV testing opportunities and settings, particularly in the dental clinical setting, is needed to address this major public health concern. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: This study assessed dental patients' knowledge, attitudes and practices in voluntary counselling and rapid HIV testing (VCT) in the dental workplace in the eThekwini district, KwaZulu-Natal to determine their understanding and support for these services. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. A total of 250 questionnaires were distributed to dental patients located in private and public dental settings in the eThekwini district. Two hundred and fifty (n=250) completed questionnaires were retrieved, yielding a response rate of 100%. RESULTS: More than half of the participants (n=134; 53.6%) indicated not to have heard of rapid HIV testing or were "unsure" of their knowledge regarding rapid HIV testing. The majority of participants (n=209; 83.6%) reported wanting the option to test for HIV at the dental workplace and 76.8% (n=192) indicated that rapid HIV testing should be routinely conducted by the oral healthcare worker. Participants (n=189; 75.6%) indicated to be less willing to partake in HIV testing should there be a cost implication. Some participants (n=104; 41.6%) indicated that they did not want the oral healthcare worker to perform the test due to perceived incompetency in rapid HIV counselling and testing. More participants from urban (n=214; 85.6%) and rural (n=217; 86.8%) areas of living were keen on the option to test for HIV at the dental workplace, with only 46.8% (n=117) of the informal dwellers sharing the same sentiment. CONCLUSION: Participants reported inadequate knowledge and practice of VCT at the dental workplace. Participants had positive attitudes towards VCT implementation in the dental setting, provided that the cost of conducting of the test was free.

Keywords : HIV/AIDS; rapid HIV testing; dental workplace; oral healthcare workers.

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