Clinical and radiographic presentations of HIV-1 necrotizing ulcerative periodontitis

HIV-1-associated periodontal diseases have been reported in the literature for several years. Criteria for the diagnosis of these diseases have not been universally accepted, although there are numerous papers describing the clinical entity. These case reports provide clinical and radiographic evidence of a type of periodontal disease with bone and soft tissue destruction which differentiates it from "conventional" periodontal diseases found in both HIV-1-infected patients and those not infected by the virus. It is important, from both diagnostic and therapeutic aspects, for clinicians to be able to make this distinction. The appropriate use of clinical and radiographic findings is extremely helpful in the diagnosis, particularly in the case of defining HIV-1 necrotizing ulcerative periodontitis (NUP). Whether the patterns of gingival changes and bone loss described in these case reports are specific to HIV-1-seropositive persons or rather represent severe immunosuppression requires further investigation.