Prevalence of Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection by Number of Vaccine Doses Among US Adults

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is effective at reducing the incidence of cervical cancer caused by HPV. Studies have shown that 1 dose of the HPV vaccine offers comparable protection against genital HPV infection as additional doses; however, it is unknown whether oral HPV prevalence also differs by number of vaccine doses. We examined differences in prevalence of oral HPV by number of doses using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2009 to 2016. The prevalence of HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18 infections was statistically significantly lower in individuals who received 1 dose (0.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.0% to 0.9%) or 2-3 doses (0.4%, 95% CI = 0.0% to 1.2%) compared with unvaccinated individuals (1.2%, 95% CI = 0.9% to 1.6%). Smokers, individuals who initiated oral sex at age 17 years or younger, and those with more than 2 oral sexual partners had higher rates of oral HPV infection. Ongoing prospective studies are essential to further evaluate the efficacy of a single-dose regimen for prevention of oral HPV.