An increasing number of dentists are screening patients for various overall health conditions during 6-month checkups. In addition to oral cancer and gum disease tests, some dentists now screen patients for diabetes, and in an article by the American Dental Education Association, it is suggested that the future may also hold HIV testing in the dental office.
A fast and easy test will make the dental-office HIV screen possible. With OraQuick Advance, saliva is used to detect HIV. The test takes only 20 minutes to present preliminary results, and offers accuracy comparable to that of blood testing. All preliminary results have to be confirmed through a Western Blot by an offsite lab or doctor.