Oral lesions associated with human immunodeficiency virus in 75 adult patients: a clinical study

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of oral lesions in human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients in a descriptive cross-sectional study, and to establish their presence according to levels of CD4+ cells (including the CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 75 patients infected with HIV were included. Oral lesions were observed and classified using World Health Organization classification guidelines. Potential correlations between the presence and severity of oral lesions and CD4+ cells, including the CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio, were studied. RESULTS: The most frequent oral lesion detected was oral pseudomembranous candidiasis (80.0%), followed by periodontal disease (40.0%), herpetic lesions (16.0%), hairy leukoplakia (16.0%), gingivitis (20.0%), oral ulceration (12.0%), Kaposi's sarcoma (8.0%), and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (4.0%). The CD4+ count was <200 cells/mm(3) in 45 cases (60.0%), between 200–500 cells/mm(3) in 18 cases (24.0%), and >500 cells/mm(3) in 12 cases (16.0%). The mean CD4+ count was 182.18 cells/mm(3). The mean ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells was 0.26. All patients showed at least one oral manifestation. CONCLUSION: There was no correlation between the CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio and the presence of oral lesions. The severity of the lesions was more pronounced when the CD4+ cell count was less than 200 cells/mm(3).