Oral health of pediatric AIDS patients: a hospital-based study

The prevalence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is steadily increasing among American children. The dental needs of these patients are significant. This study evaluated the oral health of forty children being treated for HIV-infection at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Eight of twenty-two patients in primary dentition (36 percent) had baby bottle tooth decay (BBTD). These cases required extensive dental restoration usually under general anesthesia. Tooth development was delayed in 31 percent of patients. Candidiasis was the most common soft tissue abnormality, found in 35 percent of children. Preventive and therapeutic dental programs should be instituted to meet the special needs of pediatric AIDS patients.