Oral findings in pediatric AIDS: a case control study in Brazilian children

A cross-sectional study was performed to verify the oral status in forty-one-children, four months to twelve years old, with antibodies anti-HIV detected by ELISA and Western-blot, in comparison to children with no risk for AIDS. Intraoral and extraoral examinations were performed, and dental and medical history was also obtained. Representative oral findings in AIDS group were cervical lymphadenopathy (53.7 percent), pseudomembranous candidosis (22 percent), angular cheilitis (9.8 percent), parotid enlargement (7.3 percent), erythematous candidosis (4.9 percent), and ulcers (4.9 percent). Control group included only two children with cervical lymphadenopathy. Considering the mean values for dmft and DMFT, there were no statistically significant differences (Student's t test) between the two groups (p < 0.05). While oral soft-tissue lesions were frequently observed in HIV antibodies in seropositive children, dental caries could not be associated primarily with AIDS.