Oral lesions in HIV-positive dental patients - one more argument for tobacco smoking cessation

Objective: To determine the prevalence of oral lesions associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a population of dental patients and analyze its association with psycho-social variables and biological markers. Study design: The dental charts of 415 dental patients consecutively treated between May and July 2005 in a dedicated HIV dental clinic were reviewed. Oral soft tissue examinations, psycho-social and medical variables were extracted and recorded for each patient. Ethnicity, gender, HIV treatment, peripheral CD4 counts and tobacco usage were analyzed in correlation with oral lesions associated with HIV. Results: Fifty-five percent of all subjects had at least one oral lesion associated with HIV, with oral candidiasis, salivary gland enlargement and oral hairy leukoplakia being the most commonly observed conditions. Gender and ethnicity did not correlate with a higher prevalence in lesions. However, tobacco smoking correlated significantly with a higher prevalence of oral lesions, independent of CD4 counts. Conclusions: These findings suggest that oral lesions remain commonly observed morbidities among HIV-infected dental patients independent of gender and ethnicity and that tobacco usage is a major and often underestimated risk factor for those lesions.