Newsletter
AUGUSTA, Ga., USA: It is known that people with HIV are at particular risk of oral health problems, mainly because their immune system is weakened and less able to fight off infection. Currently, researchers at Georgia Regents University in the U.S. are investigating the cause of oral health problems in these patients.
In order to improve the oral health and thereby the overall health of HIV patients, the researchers have set out to better understand whether oral problems arise from the HIV infection itself, the antiretroviral therapy or both.
Together with researchers at Louisiana State University and the Ohio State University, they are currently collecting samples from the mouths of HIV-positive patients to perform molecular tests and examine changes in the oral microbiota during therapy.
In addition, the researchers will be assessing the overall health of the teeth and gums of the patients because HIV-positive patients often suffer from gum disease and tooth decay, explained Dr. José A. Vazquez, Chief of the Section of Infectious Diseases at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.
Even with meticulous dental hygiene, tooth decay, gum disease, yeast infections, bacteria and viruses, such as the human papillomavirus, continue to plague many patients, Vazquez said. "One of the earliest signs of HIV can be a yeast infection in the mouth, which, in the worst case scenario, can quickly spread into and block the esophagus," he added.
Some of the most common oral problems among people with HIV/AIDS include oral warts, fever blisters, hairy leukoplakia, oral candidiasis and aphthous ulcers. Patients may also experience dry mouth, which increases the risk of tooth decay and can make chewing, eating, swallowing and even talking difficult.
The Georgia Regents Health System follows about 1,800 HIV-positive patients, a number that is growing by approximately 15 newly diagnosed patients per month.
