Abstract
This study aimed to analyze the perception of dentists by patients with HIV/AIDS, seeking to understand the stigmatized face of the epidemic. This is a quantitative study with 67 HIV/AIDS carriers, participants of the non-governmental organization “Gestos – Comunicação, Soropositividade e Gênero” (Gestures – Seropositivity, Communication and Gender), in Recife/Pernambuco, Brazil. Questionnaires were applied on aspects inherent to professional stance, patient/dentist relationship and experiences during dental care. The results indicated that 31% of the patients did not inform the dentist about their status as seropositive and among those who reported, more than 30% reported that there was a change in the professional stance. Hiding the seropositivity from the dentist is a way of ensure care for 57% of the interviewees and 27% reported experiences of discrimination. It is concluded that the findings on HIV/AIDS have not been able to eliminate the historical prejudice and stigma that affect HIV +, seeing that there are still feelings of discrimination experienced by the carriers, including in the health care.
HIV; Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; Prejudice; Social stigma; Dentistry