Dental and Oral Lesions in HIV-Positive Individuals in East Bohemia--Czech Republic, Single Centre Experience

Evaluating Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior of Dentists on HIV/AIDS in West Java, Indonesia, in the COVID-19 Era

Purpose

HIV/AIDS is still a serious public health problem in Indonesia. It has been concerned that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has a serious impact on people living with HIV (PLWH). Therefore, dentists remain to have a significant role to play in the overall healthcare delivery to PLWH and reducing new HIV infections. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of dentists in West Java about HIV/AIDS in the COVID-19 era.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted by distributing online questionnaires using a Google form to dentists in West Java. We used the purposive sampling technique to recruit the participants. The questionnaire consists of characteristics of respondents, 13 questions about knowledge, 9 questions about attitudes, and 6 questions about behaviors, which has previously been tested for validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using the Spearman correlation test and the Chi-square test. Results. The Questionnaire was sent to 435 dentists in the West Java region, Indonesia, with the assistance of the Indonesian Dental Association West Java region, to participate in this study. We received completed questionnaires from 209 (48%) respondents. The results of this study showed that 44% of dentists have good knowledge, 53% have a positive attitude, and 53% have positive behavior. No significant relationship was found between knowledge and attitudes (p=0.202) and behavior (p=0.087), but there was a significant relationship between attitudes and behavior (p=0.0001).

Conclusion

About half of the dentists in West Java have good knowledge, positive attitudes, and behavior towards HIV/AIDS, but the others lack knowledge, negative attitudes, and behavior. Continuing HIV/AIDS education and training programs for dentists are still needed to keep improving their knowledge and awareness to support disease prevention and control in this COVID-19 era.

Association of oral candidal species with human immunodeficiency virus patients of West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh - An in vitro study

Introduction:

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a major worldwide health problem characterized by progressive immunosuppression. The morbidity of HIV patients is due to its association with opportunistic infections among which oral candidiasis is common. Regardless of HIV status, candidiasis can prevail when their immune system is depressed. Oral candidiasis can thus serve as a useful marker for both restoration of immune functions and HIV disease progression. Routine identification of Candida species is laborious and time-consuming. HICHROM agar stains different species into different colors facilitating rapid reliable identification of candida species as they differ in their virulence and sensitivity to antifungal drugs.

Materials and Methods:

This cross-sectional study includes a total of 200 HIV seropositive patients from Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centre, West Godavari District. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected in a screw-capped universal container. Five microliters of each sample using a sterile inoculating loop is streaked on the chromogenic agar culture media. The colonies formed are counted using a magnifying glass and LAPIZ colony counter. Candidal colony-forming units per milliliter were analyzed, compared and correlated among different study groups. Different candida species were also identified in the study.

Results:

Nonalbicans Candida was the most common species isolated in our study accounting for 53% and Candida albicans accounting for 47%. Considering initial and final CD4 counts, there is improvement in patients on retroviral therapy.

Conclusion:

Identification of the species is important for epidemiological reasons and for treatment purposes to ensure a better prognosis since some species present reduced susceptibility to azoles.

Association between Sex, CD4 Cell Counts, Antiretroviral Medications, and Olfactory and Gustatory Functions of HIV-Infected Adults

Objective To investigate the olfactory and gustatory functions of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults in Ibadan, Nigeria. Study Design A cross-sectional study of olfactory and gustatory functions of HIV-infected adults between March 2015 and December 2015. Setting Tertiary health institution. Subjects and Methods A structured questionnaire was administered to participants to obtain relevant sociodemographic and clinical information. Participants' nadir and most recent CD4 cell count and viral loads were obtained from their medical records. Participants' body mass indices were determined, and each subjectively rated their olfactory and gustatory performances. Objective olfactory and gustatory functions were determined using validated "Sniffin' Sticks" and "Taste Strips" impregnated with 4 different concentrations of sucrose, quinine hydrochloride, sodium chloride, and citric acid. Results In total, 135 HIV-infected adults, comprising 41 (30.4%) men and 94 (69.6%) women, were evaluated. Their ages ranged from 20 to 70 years, mean 43.4 ± 10.4 years. Participants were on highly active antiretroviral therapy for a mean duration of 75.8 ± 36.9 months. The proportions of male participants in HIV stages 1, 2, and 3 were 18 (43.9%), 19 (46.3%), and 4 (9.8%), respectively, while female participants were 46 (48.9%), 41 (43.6%), and 7 (7.4%), respectively. Participants' mean olfactory threshold, discrimination, identification, and TDI scores were 8.0 ± 4.9, 9.9 ± 4.7, 8.8 ± 4.5, and 26.7 ± 11.1, respectively, while total taste score was 25.1 ± 5.7. Conclusion HIV-infected adults have tendency to develop hyposmia and hypogeusia. These are worse with advanced stage of HIV infection.