Oral Human Papillomavirus: a multisite infection.

Area of Science:

• Oral pathology
• Virology
• Oncology

Background:

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) exhibits cellular persistence strategies.
• This characteristic prompted investigation into HPV presence in clinically asymptomatic oral tissues.
• Understanding oral HPV infection dynamics is crucial for early detection and prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of HPV DNA in multiple oral cavity sites.
• To compare HPV detection rates between oral cancer patients and healthy controls.
• To assess the multifocal nature of oral HPV infections.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 144 participants (72 oral squamous carcinoma patients, 72 healthy controls).
• Sample collection included saliva, lesion biopsies, brush scrapings, and contralateral healthy sites.
• HPV detection utilized Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) with MY09/MY11 primers.

Main Results:

• HPV DNA was detected in 42% of oral squamous carcinoma patients and 4% of controls.
• Multifocal HPV infections (two or more positive sites) were found in 67% of infected oral cancer patients.
• A significant difference in HPV prevalence was observed between the case and control groups (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

• HPV is frequently detected in the oral cavity, often as a multifocal infection.
• The presence of HPV DNA can occur in oral tissues irrespective of clinical signs of infection.
• Findings suggest HPV plays a significant role in oral carcinogenesis and warrants further investigation.