Knowledge and attitudes of Peruvian dental students toward caring for people with HIV/AIDS

Authors

Keywords:

HIV/AIDS, attitude, knowledge, dentistry.

Abstract

Introduction: To the WHO, education is an important strategy in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Organization recommends that emphasis is made on the training of health professionals in the comprehensive management of the people affected with quality, ethics and dignity.

Objective: Evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of dental students toward caring for people with HIV/AIDS.

Methods: Of the total 588 dental students attending a Peruvian public university in the year 2018, a sample of 235 was selected by probabilistic sampling. A 30-item questionnaire was used to collect data about sociodemographic characteristics and level of knowledge, dividing the scores into Good (≥ 20), Fair (15-19) and Poor (< 15). Attitudes were measured on a 20-item scale, and the scores obtained were classified as Favorable (70-100), Indifferent (50-69) or Unfavorable (< 50). A pilot study conducted with 60 students obtained a K-R reliability grade of 0.87 for the knowledge questionnaire and a Cronbach's alpha of 0.89 for attitudes.

Results: 57% (CI 95%: 50.7-63.4%) of the students showed a good level of knowledge (≥ 20 points), whereas the most common attitude was Indifferent in 79.6%. The knowledge score of students attending clinical courses was statistically higher than that of students in preclinical courses (p < 0.05). A significant linear relationship was found between attitude and knowledge scores (rho = 0.23; p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The students obtained good knowledge scores, but attitudes toward the care of HIV/AIDS patients are indifferent. Knowledge and attitudes scores are linearly correlated. Attending clinical courses was associated to the level of knowledge, not to attitudes.

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Author Biographies

Freddy Ronald Valdez Jurado, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Facultad de Odontología, Departamento de Estomatología Rehabilitadora. Lima, Perú.

Lima

Mariaelena Moscoso Sanchez, Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, Facultad de Odontología, Secretaría Académica. Lima, Perú.

Lima

References

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Published

2022-02-18

How to Cite

1.
Jurado FRV, Moscoso Sanchez M. Knowledge and attitudes of Peruvian dental students toward caring for people with HIV/AIDS. Rev Cubana Estomatol [Internet]. 2022 Feb. 18 [cited 2025 May 17];59(1):e3682. Available from: https://revestomatologia.sld.cu/index.php/est/article/view/3682

Issue

Vol. 59 No. 1 (2022): JAN- MAR

Section

Research Article

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