{"title":"HPV Knowledge, Vaccination Uptake, and Salivary Diagnostics Among Dental Students in Romania.","authors":"Sergiu Baranga, Doina Chioran, Octavia Balean, Ramona Dumitrescu, Roxana Popescu, Daniela Jumanca, Roxana Oancea, Ruxandra Sava-Rosianu, Vanessa Bolchis, Atena Galuscan","doi":"10.3390/vaccines13060658","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a key cause of cervical and oropharyngeal cancers. Despite available vaccines, uptake remains low in Romania due to limited awareness and hesitancy. This study assessed HPV knowledge, vaccination status, and the presence of high-risk strains (16 and 18) in the saliva of dental students from Victor Babeș University in Timișoara. <b>Methods:</b> A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and March 2024, enrolling 199 dental students. Participants completed a 15-item questionnaire addressing HPV-related knowledge, vaccination status, lifestyle factors, and health history. Saliva samples were collected and analyzed using real-time PCR for the detection of HPV types 16 and 18. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify predictors of vaccination uptake. <b>Results:</b> Only 10.6% of participants had received the HPV vaccine, although 96.9% acknowledged its safety and efficacy. Awareness was higher among females (88.1%) than males (84.3%), and vaccination rates were significantly greater among students under 25 years old (<i>p</i> = 0.0312). A total of 16.6% reported the presence of papillomas or warts. HPV DNA was detected in 10% of saliva samples. <b>Conclusions:</b> Although awareness of HPV was high, vaccination rates remained low, revealing a gap between knowledge and preventive action. Saliva-based screening shows promise as a non-invasive diagnostic tool, and integrating targeted education and advocacy into dental curricula may enhance public health outcomes in Romania.</p>","PeriodicalId":23634,"journal":{"name":"Vaccines","volume":"13 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12197720/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Vaccines","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13060658","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"IMMUNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a key cause of cervical and oropharyngeal cancers. Despite available vaccines, uptake remains low in Romania due to limited awareness and hesitancy. This study assessed HPV knowledge, vaccination status, and the presence of high-risk strains (16 and 18) in the saliva of dental students from Victor Babeș University in Timișoara. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and March 2024, enrolling 199 dental students. Participants completed a 15-item questionnaire addressing HPV-related knowledge, vaccination status, lifestyle factors, and health history. Saliva samples were collected and analyzed using real-time PCR for the detection of HPV types 16 and 18. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify predictors of vaccination uptake. Results: Only 10.6% of participants had received the HPV vaccine, although 96.9% acknowledged its safety and efficacy. Awareness was higher among females (88.1%) than males (84.3%), and vaccination rates were significantly greater among students under 25 years old (p = 0.0312). A total of 16.6% reported the presence of papillomas or warts. HPV DNA was detected in 10% of saliva samples. Conclusions: Although awareness of HPV was high, vaccination rates remained low, revealing a gap between knowledge and preventive action. Saliva-based screening shows promise as a non-invasive diagnostic tool, and integrating targeted education and advocacy into dental curricula may enhance public health outcomes in Romania.
VaccinesPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics-Pharmacology
CiteScore
8.90
自引率
16.70%
发文量
1853
审稿时长
18.06 days
期刊介绍:
Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X) is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal focused on laboratory and clinical vaccine research, utilization and immunization. Vaccines publishes high quality reviews, regular research papers, communications and case reports.