title: Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in adults undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy in Hong Kong.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has altered the prevalence and incidence of oral mucosal lesions of HIV infection. Recent reports show a variation in the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in different population groups. Understanding the prevalence of these lesions is of paramount importance in the efficient delivery of dental care to such cohorts. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions and salivary parameters during HAART in an ethnic Chinese cohort in Hong Kong.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional estimation of the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions was carried out in 101 HIV-infected ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong using the European Community-Clearinghouse classification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of oral mucosal lesions was more common in patients who were classified at baseline as Centers for Disease Control (CDC) C3 category than CDC A2, A3, B2, and B3 (P < 0.05). An overall prevalence of 1.98% was observed for oral Kaposi's sarcoma. Additionally, the HIV group on HAART (0.37 ± 0.23 mL/min) had significantly lower salivary flow rates (P < 0.01) compared with the healthy group (0.49 ± 0.15 mL/min).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although HAART appears to markedly reduce the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions during the course of HIV disease, regular systematic oral screening is still warranted for such populations for the early diagnosis and management of pathologies, such as Kaposi's sarcoma.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Mahendra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.forename: Peter Chiu Shun
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Tsang
authors.forename: Lakshman
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Samaranayake
authors.forename: Man Po
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000453:epidemiology