Investigation of the Relationship between Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection and Oral Health

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Oral health status has been suggested as one of the possible risk factors for oral human papillomavirus (OHPV) infection. There is inconsistent evidence concerning its relationship with the presence of OHPV. PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare oral health status between two groups of patients with and without OHPV infection. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This cross-sectional study was performed on 272 oral rinse samples, collected from our previous study population. After signing the written informed consents, the oral examination was performed to determine some clinical parameters of oral health status including periodontal disease status, oral hygiene status, decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) of participants. Next, viral deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and HPV genotyping tests were performed on the samples. RESULTS: OHPV DNA was detected in a total 31 (11.40%) samples that were considered as OHPV+ group. None of the determined clinical parameters of oral health status was significantly different between OHPV+ and OHPV DNA negative (OHPV-) groups (p> 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of the current study did not indicate a significant association between oral health status and OHPV. Further studies with larger sample size are recommended to reach a definite conclusion.