Published in:
01-12-2013 | original article
Prevalence of oral candidiasis in HIV infected children treated with antiretroviral drugs
A comparative study
Published in: international journal of stomatology & occlusion medicine | Issue 4/2013
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Background
Oral candidiasis is a common opportunistic infection of the oral cavity caused by excess colonization by Candida species, the commonest being Candida albicans. The prevalence varies depending on age and certain predisposing factors. There are three broad groupings consisting of acute candidiasis, chronic candidiasis and angular chelitis. Risk factors include impaired saliva gland function, drugs, dentures, high carbohydrate diet, smoking, diabetes mellitus, Cushing’s syndrome, malignancies and immunosuppressive conditions, such as with HIV infections.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of oral candidiasis in relation to the antiretroviral therapy (ART) status of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected children.
Materials and methods
In this cross-sectional study 111 children aged between 0 and 13 years who were HIV infected were selected and divided into 2 groups, ART and non-ART groups. The subjects were screened by a non-governmental organization (NGO) the Vasavya Mahila Mandali (Andhra Pradesh, India) which serves the HIV infected population and is mainly composed of women and children in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The American Dental Association (ADA) type 3 protocol for examination (i.e. inspection using a mouth mirror, explorer and adequate illumination) was followed.
Results
There was a significant association between candidiasis and the ART group but no significant association was seen between angular chelitis and the ART group.
Conclusions
There was a significant correlation between the various forms of oral candidiasis and the ART group. Although ART was given for the subjects belonging to ART group at some point of time, candidiasis was still observed which could be related to the CD4 levels.