hi, i am female, 18 yrs old and hiv+. i am a freshman in college and trying to decide what i want to do with the rest of my life. i was thinking about dental school, can i do this? will i have to tell the school i apply to, and will i have to tell my patients? would it maybe be possible to specialize in dentistry with hiv+ individuals? i have thought about this a lot, and of course i wouldn't want to put anyone at risk, but this is something i think i may want to pursue, and i would rather not have hiv hold me back. i of course know that there is an extremely low chance of transmission, but my parents think it is weird that i would choose anything with even the slightest chance. i guess i do too, but i am really interested in the medical field, and want to help people, so i just want some imput. thanks for your time.

Your best, clearest answer is going to come from the dental licensing board in your state. We surely need more dentists willing to work with HIV positive patients, so I wish you well. Heck, I wish you well in general. Look up the board in the phone book. Or call your dentist's office, explain that you're thinking of dental school, and ask for the number of the state board. Good luck!