A scoping review of factors that affect unmet dental service needs among people living with HIV/AIDS

Abstract Background There was an inequality in utilizing oral and dental healthcare utilization. Although people living with HIV need more oral and dental services they receive less and they have many unmet needs about their teeth health. Therefore, the present study aimed to find the factors related to unmet dental service needs (UDSN) among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) through a scoping review study. Methods This scoping review was done based on the Arksey and O’Malley framework. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Proquest were searched for finding the relevant studies. After searching the mentioned databases, 10,431 papers were retrieved. All papers were screened and finally, 20 papers were included for synthesis. Results The results showed UDSN ranged between 17–90.4% which in most studies was reported more than 50%. Reported related factors were classified into demographic, access, Health Conditions Exacerbating Dental Needs (HCEDN), health care provider, and patient status categories. The results also show that there is a high prevalence of HCEDN among PLWHA, such as untreated dental caries, dry mouth, enamel hypoplasia, and ulcers. Discussion The results provide valuable information for improving access and UDSN among PLWHA. The results suggest the need for further research to explore the causal relationships between these factors and unmet need of dental service, and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions that aim to overcome the barriers and enhance the facilitators of unmet dental service need among this population.