ABSTRACT
AIM: To determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus in the oral cavity of denture wearers. METHODS: Swabs were collected from 72 denture wearers and 72 controls (non-denture wearers) to obtain DNA. Amplification of the ß-globin gene was performed by polymerase chain reaction to check the integrity of extracted DNA. The presence of human papillomavirus in the DNA sample was detected by nested polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The prevalence of human papillomavirus was found to be significantly higher in the oral cavity of denture wearers (38/72, 52.8%) than in the controls (17/72, 23.6%; odds ratio = 3.612, confidence interval = 1.771/7.385, P = <0.001). When adjusted for variables, including age, sex, ethnicity, and smoking habit, human papillomavirus was still found to be significantly associated with denture wearing, with an adjusted odds of 3.2 (P = 0.008). No association of human papillomavirus positivity was found with denture variables, including denture type, denture material type, duration of denture wearing, and denture hygiene (P > 0.05). Low-risk human papillomavirus types were found to be more frequent in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of human papillomavirus in the oral cavity of denture wearers was found to be significantly higher compared to controls; however, it was mainly low-risk types.
