Assessment of the structure of dental pathology in patients with HIV
Relevance. Oral mucosa lesions are the earliest indicators of HIV infection and may be the first available symptoms of the disease. Goal. To study the structure of dental pathology in HIV-infected patients. Methods. Eighty HIV-infected patients were examined according to the standard technique, which included conventional clinical examinations of the oral cavity and the determination of the communal periodontal index. Results. It was found that in HIV carriers, diseases of the oral mucosa were distinguished by a latent course and an erased clinical picture. The course of periodontitis in HIV-infected patients was characterized by a weak severity of clinical manifestations of the inflammatory process in the gum tissues with an almost complete absence of subjective sensations, which was confirmed by the results of determining the CPI index. Conclusion. Knowledge of the polymorphism and characteristics of the clinical manifestations of HIV infection in the oral cavity can allow practitioners to promptly suspect the presence of the virus in the body.