Oral manifestations related to papillomavirus (HPV)

Abstract

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a DNA virus, of the papovavirus group, that is highly sexually transmittable. It is common in the anal and genital parts and rarely in the oral mucosa. The oral implantation can be by self-inoculation or by oral-sexual contact. The oral manifestations related to HPV are: papilloma, condyloma acuminatum, verruca vulgaris, focal epithelial hyperplasia, leukoplasia, lichen planus, and the squamous cell carcinoma. The diagnosis is performed by lesion exam and confirmed by biopsy, showing the HPV genotype by molecular biology techniques (hybrid capture and PCR). The treatment, depending on the lesion, can be clinical or surgical, allowing clinical cure, because the virus remains in the epithelium of the mucosa even after the treatment.