The aim of this study was to evaluate the mothers' perceptions and expectations of the behavior of their children who were HIV positive, during dental treatment. The sample was composed of 40 mother and child pairs. The mothers answered seven questions during two different appointments (M1, the child's initial appointment, and M2, the child's treatment appointment) in order to identify their perceptions and expectations about their children's behavior during dental treatment. In addition, child's behavior during the appointments was evaluated. The results of the mothers' interviews were then correlated with their children's behavior using Spearman's correlation test (p<0.05). There was no significant correlation between the mothers' perceptions and expectations and the behavior displayed by their children during dental treatment (p>0.05).