Oral findings in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

Oral examinations of 103 consecutive patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were performed. Of these patients, 74 (72%) were heterosexuals and 29 (28%) were homosexual or bisexual men. Lesions that were identified on subsequent examination were recorded separately. Oral candidiasis was the most common finding, occurring in 94 patients. Other findings were herpes simplex ulceration (ten patients), exfoliative cheilitis (nine patients), xerostomia (ten patients), "hairy" leukoplakia (seven patients), and Kaposi's sarcoma (four patients). A patchy, depapillated tongue was seen in six patients, and ulcers with uncertain cause were seen in three patients. Gingival bleeding, perioral molluscum contagiosum, and brown hairy tongue each occurred in one patient. In this study, "hairy" leukoplakia and Kaposi's sarcoma occurred exclusively in homosexual and bisexual men with AIDS, and occurred significantly more frequently in this group than in heterosexual patients with AIDS. There was no significant difference between these groups in the frequency of occurrence of other findings.