Expert: John Thai, M.D. - 10/22/2009

Question
dear mr. Thai,

please could you help me with this problem?

i have problems with my oral health / severe aphtae on my tongue and bleeding gums.
the bigger problems are my aphtae..
well yes, they are not bleeding, but it is some kind of open wound on my tongue. or as my doctor calls it - my tongue is very sensitive and keeps losing its surface layers when contacted with some kinds of foods and then it is like "burned" ...
sometimes i am really afraid of eating outside in restaurants, thinking about the possible risk of getting hiv through using cutlery in the restaurant and also... you just cant check all the time if the food looks ok. what if the cook is hiv+ and has a fresh cut on his finger while making my food, the same with waitress etc... i dont know. i am wondering if this is possible and if there is any reported case like this... i tried to search it on internet but didnt find anything, only one link which looks like saying yes, its possible, but it does not work, so i dont know what particularly is it speaking about..

the only thing that calms me down is, that i suppose, there are many people in the streets who eat outside every day and doesnt even think about their  bleeding gums or aphtae or...

please, could you help me with finding the answer?

thank you so much.

Answer
hi andreas, i would first suggest trying to figure out what is causing your aphthous ulcers, tongue lesions, and bleeding gums. it is definitely a serious issue that needs further investigation by a specialist or dentist. there is no risk of hiv from eating foods prepared by an hiv+ person.