Abstract: Objective: To assess regional differences in HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes toward patients with HIV/AIDS, and factors associated with treatment willingness among dentists in Xinjiang and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted, including demographic characteristics, HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and treatment willingness towards patients with HIV/AIDS. Chi-square tests were used for group comparisons, and logistic regression was performed to identify factors influencing treatment willingness. Results: A total of 479 valid questionnaires were collected, including 165 males (34.4%) and 314 females (65.5%). Overall, 79.3% of dentists could correctly answer at least 10 questions among the 12 questions related to HIV/AIDS knowledge. A total of 43.2% expressed willingness to treat patients with HIV/AIDS, which was higher in Xinjiang than in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (48.5% vs. 36.1%). Moreover, 32.6% had prior experience treating patients with HIV/AIDS, which was also the higher proportion in Xinjiang (44.9%) compared with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (16.1%) (P<0.05). Dentists with previous treatment experience were more likely to provide treatments again than those without such experience (OR=3.517, 95% CI: 1.810-6.832, P=0.001). Conclusions: Dentists in Xinjiang showed higher willingness to treat patients with HIV/AIDS than those in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, despite comparable levels of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge. These findings highlight the need for region-specific continuing education strategies that strengthen clinical exposure to improve equitable oral care for patients with HIV/AIDS in China.

Key words: dentists, HIV/AIDS, questionnaire, knowledge, attitudes