Immune indices and oral health in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus

BACKGROUND: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

During the incubation period of AIDS, oral manifestations may precede systemic symptoms; therefore, it is vitally important to explore the relationship between HIV and oral health and other indicators.

This study aimed to further assess the correlation between demographic risk factors, the dental health of HIV-infected patients, and the correlation of oral health indicators with CD4(+) T-cell counts (CTCCs) and HIV viral loads (HIV-VLs).

METHODS: Demographic data on 108 HIV-infected patients were first recorded by questionnaire from March 2016 to November 2018.

Patients’ dental health and oral lesions were assessed by a dental specialist; in addition, they were tested for CTCCs and HIV-VLs by flow cytometry and NucliSENS EasyQ® HIV-1 virometer.

Finally, the links between CTCC, HIV-VL, and the dental health (including oral lesions) of the patients were analyzed.

RESULTS: We found that age, marital status, and body mass index (BMI) were relevant to the patient’s dental health (P < 0.05) and that their oral hygiene was relevant to their dental health (P < 0.05).

However, HIV-VL was not directly related to periodontal/dental clinical indicators (P > 0.05).

We discovered that the oral lesions in HIV-infected patients were related to decreased CTCCs and increased HIV-VLs (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that HIV-infected patients with severely impaired immune function tend to have poor dental health.

Moreover, the prevalence of oral lesions was negatively correlated with CTCC and positively correlated with HIV-VL.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-023-03752-y.