The role of patient and public involvement in oral health and HIV/AIDS research, practice and policy.

Patient and public involvement (PPI) is a process whereby patients, caregivers, service users and other relevant stakeholders, including the general public, are actively involved and engaged in activities to develop research. The dental research agenda has traditionally been driven by clinicians, where patients and the public have participated in research as subjects; patient and public involvement can contribute to the research agenda including the design and conduct of research by providing unique perspectives gained through lived experience. This panel of the 8th World Workshop on Oral Health and Diseases in AIDS considered the role of people living with HIV (PLHIV) to contribute to oral health and HIV research and policy through a process of involvement and empowerment.

Exploring context and dynamics of homosexual experiences among rural youth in India.

There is a lack of community-based studies that have examined level and context of homosexual activity in India among male youth. As part of a larger study on sexual behavior and gender attitudes of rural youth in Northern India, this study identified a subgroup of young men who reported homosexual experiences, even though they did not identify themselves as homosexual. This article attempts to examine the levels and range of sexual practices and attitudes of the homosexually active male youth by comparing them with their peers who reported heterosexual experiences.

Meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of people living with HIV: challenges for health care providers.

A trained health service workforce is critical to ensuring good quality service delivery to people with HIV. There is only limited documented information on the challenges and constraints facing health care providers in meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of HIV positive women and men. This paper reviews information on providers' attitudes, motivation and level of preparedness in addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of people living with HIV in the context of the human resources crisis and emerging treatment and prevention strategies.