The Regional Health Directorate of Fès-Boulemane, in partnership with the Syndicate of Private Dentists of Fès, organised a reflection workshop on 16 February in Fès on the role of the dentist in the prevention and screening of HIV. The questions debated during this workshop concerned, in particular, the epidemiological situation of AIDS in the region, the clinical and biological aspects of HIV, the care pathway for a patient suspected of having HIV, the mucosal signs of HIV infection in the oral cavity, as well as the role of the dentist in the prevention and screening of HIV.

According to the organisers, this meeting is part of the regional strategic plan (2012-2016) to fight AIDS in Fès-Boulemane, which should reduce new HIV infections and AIDS-related mortality by approximately 50%, while optimising good governance and the response. An extension of prevention programmes against the disease is also planned to reach a wider coverage of the most exposed people.

It should be noted that the 2012 figures concerning AIDS in the Fès-Boulemane region estimate the number of people living with HIV at 1,024, with a low level of prevalence (2%) compared to regions like Souss-Massa-Drâa or Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz. 80% of notified cases are at the AIDS disease stage, 82% live in urban areas, and 41% are women. The most affected age group is that of young adults between 25 and 44 years old (70% of notified cases), while sexual transmission remains predominant among notified cases (83%).