Oral manifestations of HIV infection: a Panamerican perspective

This paper presents a preliminary approach to the study of the oral manifestations of HIV infections in the region of the Americans. A general description of the lesions encountered is provided together with a review of the prevalence of the different manifestations in some countries of the Americas. Oral candidiasis was the most common oral lesion identified. Among oral candidiasis lesions differences were noted in relation to the frequency of the clinical forms seen. Hairy leukoplakia was the second most frequent lesion in almost all studies, with the exception the Peruvian study, where the most prevalent oral condition was xerostomia. The numbers of cases of HIV-gingivitis and HIV-periodontitis found in the countries of the Americas were lower than the cases in USA. Other oral manifestations of HIV infections seen were: Kaposi's sarcoma, oral erythema, labial herpetic infection. It is concluded that still more studies are needed, oral health professionals need additional training in the detection and treatment of lesions, and information needs to be systematized and standardized such that it is possible to make accurate comparisons among regions and countries. Recommendations are included to improve this situation.