Epidemiological characteristics and HIV-related oral lesions observed in patients from a Southern Brazilian city

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the epidemiological characteristics and associated oral lesions of HIV adult carriers in a southern Brazilian city. Methods: A retrospective survey was conducted to review the medical records of 534 patients treated at 5 referral health centers. Results: Nearly 52% of the patient sample was male, 88.2% were older than 30 years of age, 58% had been diagnosed with an advanced stage of HIV disease and 78.1% presented rapid rates of HIV progression to AIDS. Harmful habits were common (31.9%), and 35% of the patients were unemployed. Approximately 60% of the subjects used highly active antiretroviral therapy. Tuberculosis was the most commonly observed systemic illness (18.5%), and oral candidiasis was the most prevalent lesion in the oral cavity (50%). A higher risk for tuberculosis onset was associated to illicit drugs use and oral candidiasis and hairy leukoplakia. Conclusion: The high prevalence of concurrent diseases and the rapid progression to AIDS highlight the need for early diagnosis and access to treatment. Professionals must be made aware about the onset of HIV-related oral lesions that would be helpful to diagnose HIV or serve as indicators of a worsening condition.

Oral and systemic manifestations in HIV-1 patients

“…It may display an erythematous halo and may be accompanied by occasional bleeding and discomfort (7) . Moreover, necrosisassociated periodontitis may lead to tooth mobility due to the rapid loss of bone and soft tissue, consequently resulting in bleeding, an unpleasant smell, and intense pain over the entire maxilla and jaw area (8) .…”

“…This oral condition is characterized by a set of chronic infl ammatory diseases that affect the tissues supporting the teeth, and is relatively common among the general adult population (8) .…”

Admission dental examination: protocol and its importance in the diagnosis of oral pathology

“…When presenting the cases of a service of occupational medicine in a large hospital in Sao Paulo, Santos et al 14 affirmed that the pre-admission examination requires a rigorous assessment of the conditions of oral infection, aesthetics and other diseases that originate in the mouth and may have systemic repercussions. The authors highlighted that the criteria adopted in oral evaluation and to release the candidate for performing his/her functions can interfere with the amount of emergency care and the number of later removals 8,14 .…”

“…Considering the possibility of clinical findings with systemic origin in addition to the specific conditions of oral health in the admission examinations carried out, there are several studies that support the importance of knowledge of oral manifestations of diseases such as tuberculosis 8 , leprosy 9 , Parkinson's disease 10 , ankylosing spondyloarthrosis 11 , later stages of Paget's disease 12 and AIDS 8,13 .…”

Aspectos demográficos e manifestações clínicas bucais de pacientes soropositivos para o HIV/Aids

“…Já o grupo 3 apresenta as lesões mais raras, como osteomielite difusa e carcinoma de células escamosas 6 . Acentua-se que pesquisas destacam a candidose bucal como a lesão mais prevalente em portadores do HIV/Aids nas suas diferentes apresentações clínicas [8][9][10] .…”