A systematic review of four decades of prevalence of oral soft tissue infections and conditions among adult HIV patients in India

Oral lesions are a cue for decreased immunity among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive patients. There is no cumulative data available related to the prevalence of oral soft tissue lesions among the HIV positive patients. Hence, the present review was carried out to assess the various oral lesions reported among adult HIV patients across India. Two search engines were used—Google Scholar and PubMed, with key words of HIV/Acquired Immune Deficiency Symdrome(AIDS), soft tissue, oral cavity, India, and adults for searching the articles from January 1990 to December 2020. After initial review, 21 articles that fulfilled the criteria were included in the review. We used 9 parameters to access the quality of the reports. Most common lesion reported was that of oral candidiasis. Not all articles reported about sample size determination or of sampling design and technique. Other lesions like hyperpigmentation, gingivitis, and periodontitis were also found to be highly prevalent. Most reports were from South India. Further epidemiological data are required from different regions for using it to develop planning and execution related to oral health care for the HIV positive patients in India.