Oral environment and taste function of Japanese HIV-infected patients treated with antiretroviral therapy

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study was to evaluate the oral environment and the taste function of Japanese HIV-infected patients treated with antiretroviral therapy. Their median age of 73 patients taking anti-HIV drugs was 46 years. The median period of taking anti-HIV drugs was 30 months. The oral condition was evaluated by measurement of oral moisture, amount of saliva secretion, the number of oral bacteria, presence of oral candida, a taste test, and the number of missing teeth. The levels of oral moisture and secreted saliva were significantly lower in the HIV-infected group than in the healthy volunteer (control) group. The HIV-infected group showed a more robust decrease in taste sensation than the control group. The number of missing teeth was significantly higher in the HIV-infected group than in the control group. Furthermore, all of the evaluated oral conditions were worse in the HIV-infected patients whose CD4+ T lymphocyte counts were less than 500/mm³ than in the control group. It became clear that the patients taking anti-HIV drugs, especially the CD4+ count < 500/mm3 group, had a deteriorated oral environment and dysgeusia, suggesting that the management of oral hygiene is necessary to maintain oral health, which leads to systemic health.

KEYWORDS:

• Oral environment
• taste disorder
• oral health
• anti-HIV drugs
• CD4+ cell count

Acknowledgments

This research was in part supported by Research Grants received from Hiroshima Prefecture (2014–2016) for the construction of dental practice network for HIV-infected people in Chugoku and Shikoku Block in Japan.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.