Evaluation Center for HIV and Oral Health

There are significant numbers of HIV+ people who experience barriers to comprehensive oral health care services. These barriers and the subsequent unmet oral health need can have an adverse impact on the quality of life for those living with HIV, particularly with regard to treatment regimens, nutritional intake and health outcomes.

The HIV Oral Health Initiative is a 5-year multi-site evaluation and support center funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – Division of HIV/AIDS Bureau – Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) from 2006 – 2012. For more on this project, please visit the HRSA HIV/AIDS Programs Innovations in Oral Health Care Initiative website.

HRSA iHiP Webinar Series on this Initiative 
HRSA iHiP (Integrating HIV Innovative Practices) hosted a webinar series entitled
Innovations in Oral Health Care  that shares findings from the SPNS Oral Health Initiative.
Slides and webinar recordings are available on the iHiP site:

Dec. 13, 2013  The Vital Role of Oral Health Care in Overall Well-being for PLWHA                    

January 9, 2014 Dental Case Management

Jan. 22, 2014 Clinical Aspects of Oral Health Care for PLWHA

The fifteen SPNS demonstration sites were charged with establishing innovative models of care for under-served HIV populations in both urban and rural settings to increase access to oral health care and services.

Learn more about ECHO’s main activities

For Researchers: Requesting and Using the ECHO Multi-Site Dataset

Featured Resources from the ECHO Project

Public Health Report Supplement.Public Health Reports Oral Health Supplement
Jeopardy.HIV and Oral Health Jeopardy Game for Providers
HIV and Oral Health peer training slide.HIV and Oral Health Training for Peers Curriculum (on PEER Center site)
Public Health Dentistry article-topography. Journal of Public Health Dentistry: A typology of models for expanding access to oral health care for PLWHA
Public Health Dentistry article-preventive dental care for PLWHA.Journal of Public Health Dentistry: Factors Associated with Preventive Dental Care-Seeking Among PLWHA
Expanding Access to Oral Health Care for PLWHA: Lessons Learned.Expanding Access to Oral Health Services for People Living with HIV/AIDS: Lessons Learned [pdf, 24 pages]
Service Utilization and Costs: Lessons Learned.Expanding Access to Dental Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS: Service Utilization and Costs [PDF, 8 pages]
If you build it, will they come? Engagement and retention of PLWHA in Oral Health care.If you build it, will they come? And if they come, will they stay? Lessons learned in engaging and retaining PLWHA in oral health care [PDF, 16 pages]
Dental Case Management.Increasing Access to Oral Health Care for PLWHA: The role of dental case managers, patient navigators, and outreach workers [PDF, 12 pages]

Video: How access to oral health care can change lives

Changing Lives Through Good HIV Oral Health .