Here's a new one: a dentist in New York City is giving each patient a free HIV test when they come for their annual teeth cleaning.
Dr. Catrise Austin, owner and founder of VIP Smiles, believes that "a patient is more likely to see their dentist, because we recommend that they come twice a year every six months...so the opportunity to identify a newly infected patient is greater."
Dr. Austin uses a test that adds a mere twenty minutes to the patient's visit and proves over 99% effective in identifying the HIV virus within the body.
She also encourages her colleague dentists to incorporate the HIV test into their routines as well.
We at Moveable Feast think it's a great idea - part of stemming the spread of HIV is enabling as many people as possible to get tested on a regular basis.
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