Why is June 27 important to Dentistry?
OSAP

• 1 in 5 people living with HIV in the U.S. don't know they are infected Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations say to make HIV screening a routine part of healthcare
  - for all patients ages 13-64 years old
  - repeated annually for high risk groups
  - recommendations emphasize importance of using outpatient healthcare settings to increase rates of detecting new HIV infections
• Persons who know their status significantly reduce high-risk sexual behavior
• Linkage to care after screening improves the course of HIV/AIDS
• Early diagnosis of HIV not only prolongs health and productive lives, it also increases the effectiveness of antiretroviral medication and is cost effective over time
• 10% of the general population in the U.S. visit a dental office in the course of a year that do not visit a medical office
• An estimated 3.6 million Americans report that they are at significant HIV risk yet have never been tested
• 3/4 of these people have seen a dentist within the past 2 years
• These dental visits represent missed opportunities for HIV screening
• Dental professionals can talk about HIV, encourage HIV testing and even perform HIV screening

David Reznik DDS, a global leader in advocating prevention and management strategies for HIV/AIDS in the oral healthcare community says, "The benefits of HIV testing are well known in terms of both prevention and healthcare outcomes. People who know they are HIV positive are less apt to spread the virus to others, and early diagnosis significantly improves an individual's health outcomes. Dental offices offer a unique opportunity for many to learn their status. With your help, we can continue to make a difference by encouraging your patients to "Take the Test - Take Control."

OSAP encourages everyone in the dental community to understand the importance of June 27.

For more resources:

• www.HIVdent.org
• www.HIV.gov
• See Dr. Reznik's recent OSAP symposium presentation on HIV screening (and other terrific presentations at OSAP's living resource)
• Visit the new OSAP toolkit on HIV/AIDS (information added daily)
• Follow us on Twitter at OSAPtweets