Search for correlation of radon levels and incidence of salivary gland tumors.

Studies were undertaken to determine if there is a statistical correlation between radon levels and the incidence of salivary gland tumors because of high levels of radon in Pennsylvania. In Part I of the study, the incidence of minor salivary gland tumors accessioned by Temple University, Emory University, and University of Southern California from 1986 to 1988 were correlated with average radon levels in the three locations with the use of standard statistical analyses. In Part II, the occurrence of malignant salivary gland tumors was obtained for each of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania from 1986 to 1988 and correlated statistically with radon levels and population figures in each of those counties. A statistically significant correlation between radon levels and incidence of salivary gland tumors could not be demonstrated in either case.

Intraoral cytomegalovirus lesion and HIV-associated periodontitis in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Exposure to cytomegalovirus (CMV) is common in persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Autopsy studies have documented the presence of CMV in multiple organs, but CMV is seldom indicated as the causative agent in specific diseases. Few reports have described localized CMV infection in the oral cavity. This may be due to the occult histopathologic appearance during oral mucosal CMV infections and to a lack of awareness of CMV infection as a potential etiologic agent in nonspecific oral ulcerations and other oral disease entities. This report describes an intraoral ulceration with documented presence of a localized CMV infection in association with human immunodeficiency virus-associated periodontitis in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. A causative relationship between these two entities, however, cannot be established or excluded.