As Fiji continues to live with the HIV epidemic, Fijians are being warned that illegal and unsafe dental procedures can significantly increase the risk of infection.
Fiji Dental Association (FDA) president Dr Parikshath Naidu said reusing needles, tools and glues, or mishandling them, posed real danger to public health.
“Even a small slip, cut, or reused tool can spread life-changing infections,” Dr Naidu said.
“People need to understand: HIV is real, and it does not announce itself. It can live undetected in anyone; an infected patient can pass it to a dentist, and an untrained infected operator can pass it to an innocent client.”
He said oral conditions such as bleeding gums, herpes sores, fungal infections and thrush could be early warning signs of AIDS.
“AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV infection when the immune system becomes very weak and can’t fight off other diseases.”
Even mild symptoms such as inflamed gums may signal HIV-associated gingivitis, Dr Naidu warned.
“Shockingly, more than one-third of people living with HIV will develop serious oral health problems directly because of the disease.
“These conditions are not easy to spot or manage. They require proper training and strict safety procedures to protect both the patient and the dental team.”
Dr Naidu said untrained, illegal operators lacked this knowledge and prey on the public.
“What is worse, these illegal, unlicensed operators hide behind social trends.
“They prey on our local pride, telling our people that fitting fake gems on their teeth shows beauty or status.”
He condemned social media influencers promoting fake dental gems as gold or diamonds.
“This is fraud on top of danger. Not everything that shines is gold and not every bright smile hides a healthy mouth.”
Dr Naidu said the Fiji Dental Association had received a surge in public complaints and was deeply concerned.
“We are now receiving more and more reports from the public and from our own dentists about illegal and unsafe dental work happening right under our noses.”
