Prevalence of oral human papillomavirus infection among university students in Valencia, Spain

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection contributes to the pathogenesis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas. We estimated prevalence and six-month persistence of oral HPV infections among university students ages 18–25 years living in Valencia, Spain, during the 2012–2013 academic year. Participants provided oral rinse samples; HPV-positive subjects provided a follow-up sample. The study included 543 students; 70 (12.9%) women had received HPV vaccination. Prevalence among vaccinees and non-vaccinees were 10.0% (95% CI: 4.1–19.5%) and 6.8% (95% CI: 4.7–9.4%), respectively. All HPV infections among vaccinees were non-typeable genotypes; 59.4% of non-vaccinees had high-risk genotype infections. Follow-up samples were obtained from 36 participants; one vaccinee (whose specimen was non-typeable) and seven non-vaccinees were found to be HPV positive. Among non-vaccinees, six-month persistence was 10.3% (95% CI: 2.2–27.4%); all persistent infections were with high-risk genotypes. Our results, although subject to study limitations, may support the need to implement new public health strategies.