Prevalence and Risk Factors for Oral HPV in Healthy Population, in Central Europe

Background/Aim: The incidence of oropharyngeal tumours induced by human papillomaviruses (HPV) is ever increasing. Information about oral HPV prevalence and its risk factors are very important for future screening and early diagnosis of the disease. The present study aimed to assess oral HPV prevalence in healthy population and risk factors for HPV infection, since this data is scarce or even missing in Central Europe. Patients and Methods: HPV prevalence in oral rinse and HPV-specific antibodies in peripheral blood were investigated in two groups of healthy participants. Group I consisted of 294 students who reached sexual maturity after the HPV vaccine had been licensed with mean age 23.2 years, and Group II of 215 unvaccinated participants with the mean age 55.7 years. Additionally, the risk factors were evaluated. Results: In Group I, 2% of participants were positive for oral HPV DNA. A statistically significantly higher rate (8.8%) was found in Group II. The seropositivity rates for anamnestic HPV antibodies were comparable in both groups. None of the analysed risk factors was significantly associated with oral HPV positivity. Conclusion: The lower prevalence of oral HPV DNA in younger participants suggests the positive influence of vaccination against oral HPV.