For the latest student roundtable, A Tale of Two Hygienists has invited on three guests who either work with patients affected by HIV/AIDS or have studied the virus to debunk myths and misconceptions surrounding this epidemic.
Daniel Lopez has been a hygienist since 2012; since graduating, he’s been working with Access Community Health Center in Manhattan, which focuses on LGBTQ patients and the treatment of HIV. Amber Riley is based in San Diego and has been a dental hygienist for over two decades and works in a suburban practice; a small portion of her patients live with HIV and she’s seen firsthand how the prognosis of those living with the virus has changed over the years. JoAnn Gurenlian has over 40 years of dental hygiene experience under her belt; she is the graduate program director at Idaho State University, and back in the 1980s she was part of a task force that investigated HIV/AIDS during the initial outbreak.
In this roundtable, our guests discuss how we can prevent exposure to and the spread of HIV, explain the importance of “patient navigators” and how oral health care professionals should adjust their treatment for patients with HIV/AIDS.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
Interview starts: 3:05
– JoAnn breaks down the difference between quantitative and qualitative studies and the benefits of each.
– What treatments and methods can be used to prevent exposure to and proliferation of HIV?
– JoAnn discusses the positive correlation between patients’ sexual orientations and their health care providers’ own orientations.
– The ins and outs of HIV PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis): prescribing, side-effects, and what advancements are being made.
– Who are “patient navigators” and why are they so essential for helping people get the treatment they need?
– How Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can determine whether or not people seek out dental treatment and care.
– Dispelling the idea that HIV contraction is the result of promiscuity.
– What does—and doesn’t—change for our guests’ usual standard operating procedures when they learn a patient has HIV/AIDS.
QUOTES:
“We’re pretty much the future model of what health care is trying to shift towards.”
“For anyone who feels that their risk of exposure can be high, this is a preventative procedure.”
“We need to find a way to talk about risk in a positive way.”
“Sexual health is absolutely demonstrated in the oral cavity.”
“Every generation is less toxic than the last.”
“If someone is virally suppressed, there are no documented cases of them transmitting the virus.”
“You have to learn to be discerning about what is good research.”
“Every person is worth all of our time and attention.”
LINKS:
Daniel’s email: lopez.j.daniel@gmail.com
Amber’s email: Ariley@decoeducation.com
JoAnn’s email: jargphd@verizon.net
Thank you to Paradise Dental Technologies aka PDT for providing sponsorship for this episode!
Be sure to thank the sponsor for this episode by heading over to www.PDTDental.com and picking up a new instrument or telling them thank you in person at one of the conferences!
THIS EPISODE COUNTS FOR CE! – but read the disclaimer below as it might not count for your state.
Go here to take the test and get your CE Credit!
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