A Pilot Study into the Association between Oral Health Status and Human Papillomavirus—16 Infection
Charles Xiaohang Sun,
Nigel Bennett,
Peter Tran,
Kai Dun Tang,
Yenkai Lim,
Ian Frazer,
Lakshman Samaranayake,
Chamindie Punyadeera
Affiliations
Charles Xiaohang Sun
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, The School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
Nigel Bennett
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, The School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
Peter Tran
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, The School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
Kai Dun Tang
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, The School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
Yenkai Lim
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, The School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
Ian Frazer
School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia
Lakshman Samaranayake
School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia
Chamindie Punyadeera
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, The School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
Background: Over the next 20 years, oropharyngeal cancers (OPC) will represent the majority of head and neck cancers (HNCs) in the United States. It is estimated that human papillomavirus (HPV) may account for as much as 70% to 80% of OPCs in North America and in certain parts of Europe. It is hence crucial to understand the disease risk factors and natural history of oral HPV infections. We hypothesized that poor oral health (by measures such as poor oral hygiene and periodontal disease) leads to a higher degree of oral HPV-16 infections within a patient cohort from a dental school clinic. This study aims to test this hypothesis and gauge possible disease associations before larger scale studies. Subjects and Methods: 223 participants were recruited in this study from the University of Queensland Dental School clinic. Clinical oral health parameters (such as oral hygiene measures and periodontal disease measurements) have been examined and determined by dental professionals. We have collected oral rinse samples from these volunteers. Results: 10 (4.5%) out of 223 participants were found to have HPV-16 DNA in their oral rinse samples using NB2 endpoint PCR and Sanger sequencing. Within the HPV-16 DNA positive subjects, 7 (70%) and 3 (30%) were associated with poor oral hygiene and periodontal disease, respectively. Conclusion: Our results show a trend towards a positive correlation between oral HPV-16 infection and poor clinical oral health status.
