Oral Manifestation in HIV Positive Patients Attended at Amazonas Tropical Medicine Foundation (FMT-AM)

Abstract

One hundred HIV positive patients were evaluated using a descriptive observational cohort study at the Foundation of Tropical Medicine in the State of Amazon (FMT-AM), from December 2007 to April 2008, in order to assess the occurrence of oral manifestations. Seventy patients were male (average age was 36.78 years) and thirty females (average age was 32.36 years). The most frequent oral manifestations of HIV were: oral candidiasis (54%) in its clinical types – pseudomembranous, eritematous and angular queilitis; gingivitis (25%); periodontitis (18%); recurrent aphthous stomatitis (7%); hairy leukoplakia (5%); Kaposi's sarcoma (5%); cytomegalovirus (3%); herpes simplex (2%); Herpes Zoster (2%). Only 13% patients had no oral manifestations. These results indicate the importance of the knowledge on the most common oral lesions found in HIV positive patients and the importance of a thorough oral clinical examination in the course of HIV infection for early diagnosis and adequate treatment.