Gender differences in characteristics, infection control practices, knowledge and attitudes related to HIV among Ontario dentists.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Gender differences in characteristics, infection control practices, knowledge and attitudes related to HIV among Ontario dentists.

Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1996 Dec;24(6):412-5. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/97159844
McCarthy GM; MacDonald JK; Faculty of Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.

Abstract: We surveyed 5,997 dentists in Ontario to investigate gender differences in the characteristics, infection control practices, knowledge and attitudes regarding the treatment of HIV-infected patients. The response rate was 70.3%. Reports indicated that female dentists are younger and more likely to work in larger urban centres (P < 0.00001), and in general practice (P < 0.0001) than their male counterparts. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that many significant gender differences in the univariate analyses could be explained by the confounding influence of age, practice location, and specialty; however, some differences remain significant: Women were more likely than men to report attending continuing education dealing with HIV/AIDS in the past two years (P < 0.001), and to use masks and eye protection (P < 0.00001). Men reported more economic concerns than women: they were more concerned about the financial burden of infection control costs (P < 0.00001), and losing patients from their practice if it is known that they treat patients with HIV (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in willingness to provide treatment for patients with HIV. We conclude that there is little evidence to show that access to oral care for patients with HIV is affected by gender differences.

Keywords: *Attitude of Health Personnel *Clinical Competence *Dental Care for Chronically Ill *Dentists/PSYCHOLOGY *Dentists, Women/PSYCHOLOGY *HIV Infections/PREVENTION & CONTROL *Infection Control/ECONOMICS *Sex Characteristics
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