Oral Manifestations of HIV

Abstract

Oral manifestations of HIV are common and have been important in identification of patients harboring the HIV virus and in predicting the decline in their immune system. Careful history taking and detailed examination of the patient’s oral cavity are important parts of the physical examination. Early recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV-associated oral lesions may reduce morbidity. Orofacial manifestations are among the earliest and most common clinical signs of pediatric HIV disease too. Early diagnosis of perinatally exposed infants and children is especially important because the inter¬vals between infection, development of AIDS, and death are compressed in pediatric patients. Early diagnosis allows prompt institu¬tion of both multi-drug therapy, which appears to be most effective when instituted early, and prophylactic therapy to fore¬stall life-threatening opportunistic infections. The present paper discusses in detail the oral manifestations of HIV and their diagnostic criteria in adults as well as in pediatric patients.