Human Papillomavirus Infection in the Normal Oral Cavity of Young People in Mongolia

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the frequency of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the normal oral cavity of young people in Mongolia using the PCR method. Twenty-five percent of all samples (48/192) were positive for HPV infection. The positive rates of HPV infection for males and females were 22.5% (20/89) and 27.2% (28/103), respectively. Moreover, positive rates for 4 different age groups of 1-5 years old, 6-10 years old, 11-15 years old and 16-20 years old were 4.7% (2/43), 34.3% (24/70), 31.0% (18/58) and 19.0% (4/21), respectively. The frequent types of HPVs in 48 positive samples were HPV-16 (54.0%, 26/48),-4 (29.2%, 14/48),-18 (25.0%, 12/48),-1 (16.7%, 8/48),-37 (16.7%, 8/48),-11 (12.5%, 6/48),-23 (12.5%, 6/48), and-60 (12.5%, 6/48). Multiple infection of HPV was found in 37 of 48 positive samples (77.0%). It was suggested by the results of the present study that the normal oral cavities of young people in Mongolia were already infected with various types of HPVs in childhood and adolescence. Since some types of HPVs are considered related to the development of oral malignant lesions, it is necessary to conduct further studies to ascertain the outcome of HPV infection in the normal oral cavity.