1. Oral environment and taste function of Japanese HIV-infected patients treated with antiretroviral therapy.
- Author
-
Shintani, T., Fujii, T., Yamasaki, N., Kitagawa, M., Iwata, T., Saito, S., Okada, M., Ogawa, I., Unei, H., Hamamoto, K., Nakaoka, M., Kurihara, H., and Shiba, H.
- Subjects
ORAL microbiology ,BACTERIA ,CANDIDA ,HIV infections ,HIV-positive persons ,HUMIDITY ,ORAL hygiene ,SALIVA ,SENSES ,TASTE ,TASTE disorders ,TOOTH care & hygiene ,ANTIRETROVIRAL agents ,CD4 lymphocyte count ,DISEASE risk factors - Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate the oral environment and the taste function of Japanese HIV-infected patients treated with antiretroviral therapy. Their median age of 73 patients taking anti-HIV drugs was 46 years. The median period of taking anti-HIV drugs was 30 months. The oral condition was evaluated by measurement of oral moisture, amount of saliva secretion, the number of oral bacteria, presence of oral candida, a taste test, and the number of missing teeth. The levels of oral moisture and secreted saliva were significantly lower in the HIV-infected group than in the healthy volunteer (control) group. The HIV-infected group showed a more robust decrease in taste sensation than the control group. The number of missing teeth was significantly higher in the HIV-infected group than in the control group. Furthermore, all of the evaluated oral conditions were worse in the HIV-infected patients whose CD4+ T lymphocyte counts were less than 500/mm
3 than in the control group. It became clear that the patients taking anti-HIV drugs, especially the CD4+ count < 500/mm3 group, had a deteriorated oral environment and dysgeusia, suggesting that the management of oral hygiene is necessary to maintain oral health, which leads to systemic health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF