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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

The α-test: Rapid Cell-free CD4 Enumeration Using Whole Saliva
Published on: May 16, 2012
Oral and systemic health correlates of HIV-1 shedding in saliva
M Navazesh1, R Mulligan, N Kono
1Division of Periodontology, Diagnostic Sciences and Dental Hygiene, 925 West 34th Street, DEN 4320, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles,CA 90089-0641, USA. navazesh@usc.edu
Abstract:
The relationship among oral and systemic health and HIV shedding in saliva is not well-understood. We hypothesized that oral and systemic health are associated with HIV shedding in saliva of HIV-infected women. Saliva from 127 participants enrolled in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) was collected at repeated visits over a 5½-year study period (October 1998 through March 2004) and was evaluated for HIV-1 RNA. Demographic, lifestyle, and systemic and oral health characteristics were evaluated as possible correlates of salivary HIV-1 shedding. Multivariate models showed significantly increased risk of HIV-1 shedding in saliva as blood levels of CD4 cell counts decreased (p < 0.0001) and HIV RNA increased (p < 0.0001). Diabetes (p = 0.002) and a high proportion of gingival bleeding sites (p = 0.01) were associated with increased likelihood, while anti-retroviral therapy (p = 0.0003) and higher levels of stimulated saliva flow rates (p = 0.02) were associated with a lower likelihood of HIV-1 RNA shedding in saliva.
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