180 Where There Is No Dentist 2012
How to Examine the Mouth
for Signs of HIV or AIDS
IMPORTANT: You cannot tell from looking at a person
if he or she has HIV.
Dental workers must always be careful to make sure they do not pass the
virus from one person to another during dental care.
Also, dental workers must protect themselves to make sure the virus
does not pass to them from someone they are treating. So always use
precautions against HIV infection with every person you see.
The best precautions are to always wear clean latex gloves or plastic bags
on the hands, a face mask, eye protection, and to use only clean, sterile
instruments. For information on how to clean and sterilize instruments, see
pages 86 to 91.
When you examine someone, always try to:
Wear glasses or goggles. Make sure you
can see through them clearly.
Wear a clean cloth or mask over
your nose and mouth. Try to change
the cloth several times a day. Before
wearing a cloth again, wash it in
clean soapy water, rinse, and hang it
in the sun to dry.
Wear clean gloves or plastic
bags on your hands.
If possible, dental workers should always be protected so they can prevent
HIV from passing to themselves, the people they are treating, their families,
and their sexual partners.