Herpes zoster in HIV infection with osteonecrosis of the jaw and tooth exfoliation.

BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster (HZ) infection of the trigeminal nerve is associated with complications such as postherpetic neuralgia, facial scarring, loss of hearing ability and conjunctivitis. Until 2005, postherpetic alveolar necrosis and spontaneous tooth exfoliation have been described in 20 cases unrelated to HIV infection. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe HIV infection in patients (two women, two men, average age 30 years) who suffered from HZ attacks to their trigeminal nerves. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: None of the patients had received antiherpetic medications or antiretroviral therapy. HIV infection was only diagnosed after the development of HZ. Facial scarring with depigmentation and hyperesthesia (postherpetic neuralgia) was diagnosed in all four patients. Oral findings consisted of spontaneous loss of both maxillary or mandibular teeth. Osteonecrosis of varying extent was also found. Treatment consisted of extractions of teeth and administration of antibiotics and analgesics. Healing of alveolar wounds was unremarkable. CONCLUSION: Complications affecting the alveolar bone and teeth seem to be rare in HIV-infected patients.

Prevalence of oral soft tissue lesions in out-patients at two Malaysian and Thai dental schools.

At the Faculties of Dentistry in Chiang Mai, Thailand (CM), and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KL), 234 and 233 consecutive out-patients of mean ages 33.8 and 31.0 yr, respectively, were examined for the presence of oral mucosal lesions. Tobacco in some form was regularly used by 31.7% and 27.5% of the study populations in CM and KL, respectively. Cigarette smoking was the predominant habit. In CM three persons chewed betel quids and nine smoked banana leaf cigars daily. In addition, there were 24 habitual chewers of tea leaves (miang). In KL six persons chewed betel quids daily. In CM and KL three cases each (1.3%) of tobacco-associated leukoplakias were found. In KL an additional idiopathic leukoplakia was registered. One and three cases of betel related lesions were found in CM and KL, respectively. One case of a squamous cell carcinoma was found in a 45-yr-old Indian woman in KL who had been chewing betel with tobacco daily for many years. High prevalence figures were found for lichen planus, 3.8% in CM and 2.1% in KL, and an extremely high one, 48.3%, in CM for episodes of aphthous ulcers experienced during the last 2 yr. Comparatively low prevalence figures were found for herpes labialis. As could be expected melanin pigmentation was prevalent while only low figures were encountered for denture-related lesions and amalgam tattoos.