Grant: Undergraduate: Mobility musc hlth & arthritis - oral health/dental hygiene

Persons living with HIV/AIDS are at a high risk of experiencing negative changes in their oral health. Viral, fungal, and bacterial oral infections are prevalent and affect approximately 40-50% of individuals who are HIV-positive. Oral lesions that are strongly associated with HIV infection (such as pseudo-membranous candidiasis, oral hairy leukoplakia, Kaposi's sarcoma, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) are prominent and can progress undetected, especially in individuals who do not have access to oral health care. An increased risk of HPV may also increase the risk of oropharyngeal cancer in a segment of this population. Barriers to oral care for this segment of society can be great and are often associated with financial limitations, stigma, discrimination, and fear. Among those who face barriers to care, lack of oral health education is problematic, and the ability to find care providers who can attend to them is even more difficult. While there is an extensive amount of research dedicated to the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of oral conditions related to HIV/AIDS, little attention has been paid to the development of educational material and resources that will help these individuals become informed about their oral health. The student will: (1) collect and assess current educational oral health resources aimed at the HIV+ population as background to the development of future educational resources; and (2) initiate the development of referral pathways for lesion follow-up. Findings will be presented to the Positive Living Society of British Columbia, and oral health and medical professionals to raise awareness of HIV individuals who do not receive regular oral health care and oral mucosal screening. Results of this research will educate non-oral health personnel to screen HIV+ individuals who do not access regular oral health care about oral lesions and aid in the referral of individuals with lesions which may require further follow-up.