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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

The α-test: Rapid Cell-free CD4 Enumeration Using Whole Saliva
Published on: May 16, 2012
HIV-related oral manifestations among adolescents in a multicenter cohort study
C H Shiboski1, C M Wilson, D Greenspan
1Department of Stomatology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143-0422, USA. caro@nanook.ucsf.edu
Purpose:
To describe baseline prevalence of oral mucosal diseases among HIV infected adolescents in relationship to biological and behavioral risk factors.
Methods:
Participants in Reaching for Excellence in Adolescent Care and Health (REACH), a multicenter longitudinal observational study of HIV/AIDS in adolescents, received physical examinations, blood tests, and oral examinations at 3-month intervals. We evaluated participants for oral conditions commonly seen in relationship to HIV, and explored the association of the most common lesion with selected biological and behavioral variables at baseline using contingency tables and Fisher's Exact test.
Results:
Among 294 HIV infected adolescents recruited between March 1996 and March 1999, the majority were female (75%), aged 17 to 18 years (69%), and African-American (73%). More than 90% had a CD4(+) T-lymphocyte count > 200 cells/mm(3) at baseline and 57% had a plasma HIV-1 RNA concentration
Conclusion:
Similar types of oral lesions were observed in HIV infected adolescents as have been seen in adults, although the prevalence of these lesions was low. Elevated plasma HIV-1 RNA concentration was found to be associated with the baseline prevalence of oral candidiasis, and appeared to be a better predictor of HIV-related oral disease than CD4(+) T cell count in this cohort at early stage of HIV disease.
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