Attitudes of Dental Students Towards HIV+ Patients: a Multi-center Survey Among Italian Universities

The purpose of this multicentric study was to assess the attitude of Italian dental students towards HIV-infected patients. In particular, the level of discomfort perceived during the treatment, any discriminatory attitude on their part, their level of knowledge of the disease and the application of the sterilization protocols to avoid professional exposure and cross-infections.

Not Yet Recruiting

Trial opening soon.

Get Notified

Key information

Conditions

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Blood-Borne Infections Communicable Diseases Genital Diseases HIV Infections Immune System Diseases Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes Infections Lentivirus Infections RNA Virus Infections Retroviridae Infections Sexually Transmitted Diseases Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral Slow Virus Diseases Urogenital Diseases Virus Diseases

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Policlinico Universitario Fondazione Agostino Gemelli - Roma

Roma, RM, 00136, Italy

Location contact

Carlo Lajolo

CONTACT

[email protected]

+393929381949

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Completion of the survey
Dentistry students in Italy
Subjects aged ≥ 18 years

Exclusion criteria

No completion of the survey
Students of degree courses different from dentistry
Subjects aged ≤ 18 years

Treatment and study plan

Questionnaire

Other

An anonymous questionnaire, accompanied by an informative letter, will be developed to this purpose, describing the aim of the study.

The questionnaire was structured into four sections.

The first section investigates personal demographic data. The second section evaluates the relationship between students and HIV-positive patients.

The third section evaluates the student's knowledge of the HIV infection and the source of his knowledge.

The fourth section investigates the application of the preventive operative protocols to avoid cross-infections

Primary outcomes

Number of Italian dental students with a discriminatory behavior towards HIV positive patients

Time frame: Baseline

Students answering positively to the question "Do you think you have ever adopted a discriminatory behavior towards seropositive patients?", whenever asked to treat an HIV positive patient will be cathegorized as having a discriminatory behavior (Dichotomous variable)

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Carlo Lajolo, DDS, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+393929381949

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS

Other

Registry information

Acronym: HIV DENT STUD

Important dates

Study start: 2026
Primary completion: 2026
Study completion: 2026
First posted: Mar 20, 2026
Registry last updated: Mar 20, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Not Yet Recruiting