Toothbrush Should I Get Tested

Here's a taste of what TheBody.com has to offer on this topic:

Ask the Experts

!!!sharing toothbrushes or shavers!!

My sister is going to be tested for HIV and she has used other family members toothbrushes and shavers.....what is the chance that if she does test HIV positive, that we will get the virus also?...

Response from Ryan M. Kull, C.S.W

Columbia University's Health & Related Services

It is unlikely. While it is not recommended that people share the toothbrush or razor of an HIV infected person (there is the possibility of coming into contact with blood), there is no evidence that people have become infected with HIV through... Read more »

Toothbrush spunk follow-up question-Will donate

I am close to my 3 month testing mark and even though you calmed my fears by saying my risk is... Read more »

Response from Robert J. Frascino, M.D. »

Toothbrush Infected?

I found one of my roommmates using my toothbrush recently, and I'm sure it wasnt the first... Read more »

Response from Ryan M. Kull, C.S.W »

Go to Ask the Experts »

Articles

HIV Testing 101

Note: On November 9, 2001, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued two revised guidelines encouraging health care providers to routinely offer HIV testing more often. The goal is to increase the number of people who know their HIV... Read more »

Reasons for Not HIV Testing, Testing Intentions and Potential Use of an Over-the-Counter Rapid HIV Test in an Internet Sample of Men Who Have Sex With Men Who Have Never Tested for HIV

The correlates of the main reasons for not HIV testing, HIV testing intentions, and the potential use of an over-the-counter rapid HIV test (OTCRT) among men who have sex with men who have never tested for HIV (NTMSM) are unknown, the authors wrote.... Read more »

How Accurate Are Rapid HIV Tests? Study Finds Blood Tests Slightly More Accurate Than Oral Tests

Rapid HIV tests perform slightly worse when testing oral samples in comparison to blood, according to a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Jan. 24. Researchers from Canada, led by Nitika Pant Pai, M.D., of McGill... Read more »

AAHIVM Reaffirms Support for Routine HIV Testing, Calls Upon All Medical Providers to Perform at Least One HIV Test on National HIV Testing Day June 27

Washington, D.C. -- With the overhaul of the nation's health care system at center stage for the White House, the Congress and the country, the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM), on National HIV Testing Day 2009, affirms its commitment to... Read more »

Connect With Others

Sharing toothbrushes

Posted by StupidMe, 1 Reply

Hi all,
I keep reading inconsistent information regarding the risks associated with sharing toothbrushes. So I was wandering what the real risk is. Is it zero, theoretical, negligible, low...etc?
I'm asking because I had a hiv risk 3 years ago. I... Read more »

Transmission by Toothbrush

Posted by Anonymous, 1 Reply

I just found out that a neighbor of mine is HIV+. My son recently stayed at their house overnight with their kids. He didn't have a toothbrush, and said he used one of theirs.

Is there any evidence of transmission this way. Would toothpaste kill... Read more »

Oral HIV testing

Posted by Anonymous, 1 Reply

I hear that clinics (not sure if all clinics) also give out oral HIV tests. Is that true? What do they do with that and are they reliable?? Read more »

Fear testing son

Posted by Anonymous, 1 Reply

This might be stupid, I know. My son tested negative at 15 months, 3 years, 5 years, and now he is 13. He is of thin complexion like his father when he was a child so I should not think anything about it, but if I think on testing him again I feel... Read more »

Connect on Our Bulletin Boards »

Tools

My Health Tracker

Assess Your Risk for HIV

Find Local HIV/AIDS Services

Resource Centers

Guides for People With HIV

View All of Our Guides >>