Could chronic mechanical irritation facilitate entry of human papillomavirus (HPV) facilitating oral HPV infection?

Abstract

There are similarities between the clinical conditions associated with genital and oral mucosal human papillomavirus (HPV). The role of HPV infection in oral carcinogenesis is currently controversial. Also, factors underlying this infection are still unclear. The frequent location of HPV lesions in areas of trauma indicates the role of mechanical irritation as a necessary event for the penetration and/or reactivation of the virus into the epithelium. Oral mucosa is frequently exposed to mechanical irritation, as it is in constant and intimate association with hard tissues. During the oral HPV infection, favorable conditions must be generated for the infection to be successful. Some of them, associated with proliferation of basal keratinocytes, are related to the presence of external stimuli, such as chronic mechanical irritation (CMI). The objective of this work is to demonstrate, through the presentation of three clinical cases, the possible role of CMI in the pathophysiology of HPV lesions of the oral mucosa.