Prevalence of oral human papillomavirus (HPV) in the adult population of Córdoba, Argentina

Objective: To determine the prevalence of oral human papillomavirus (HPV) in the population of Córdoba, Argentina and its association with other risk factors. Methods: A sample of 401 volunteers over 18 years, representative of Cordoba city population, was selected. Using a questionnaire, we collected sociodemographic data including the use of tobacco, alcohol, and mate consumption. Two biological samples were taken from each individual, whole mouth saliva and a scraping of the posterior border of the tongue. HPV was determined by polymerase chain reaction using MY09/11 primers. Statistical associations were analyzed using χ2 test. Results: Prevalence of HPV in the population was of 3% (13/401). The mean age of HPV-positive cases was 42 years with a range of 20–85; 54% were females. Among the 13 cases whose saliva was positive for HPV, only 7 (54%) had HPV-DNA in the tongue scraping. All identified genotypes were of low risk and HPV11 was the most frequent type in 62% of positive cases. None of the positive subjects exhibited oral lesions compatible with HPV infection. Ten (77%) of the HPV-positive subjects exhibited lesions in the oral mucosa, mostly related to chronic mechanical irritation (CMI) (odds ratio 3, 95% confidence interval: 1.01–8.97, p < 0.05). Fifty-four percent of HPV-positive individuals were light smokers and consumed alcohol moderately. The combination of both habits was observed in 31%. Sixty-two percent drank mate at high water temperatures. No differences were detected in the sexual behavior or in the reported number of sexual partners between HPV-positive and -negative subjects. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of oral HPV in adults was 3%; only the low-risk genotypes were detected and no association with other risk factors for oral cancer was found. However, an association with CMI of the oral mucosa was noted. The saliva sample proved to be a simple, efficient, and well-tolerated method suitable for screening for HPV, and more cases were detected in saliva compared with tissue scrapings.