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Prevalence of clinical oral manifestations and symptoms of HIV/AIDS in Sikonge hospital, Tabora region
Abstract
Background: The oral cavity is one of the sites where HIV infection and AIDS manifests through development of an unspecified number of oral lesions. Objective: To determine the prevalence of oral manifestation of HIV/AIDS in an essentially rural population at Sikonge district.
Type of study: Cross-sectional study. Population: HIV/AIDS individuals attended at Sikonge hospital. Setting: HIV/AIDS Counselling and Treatment Centre (CTC) at Sikonge Designated District Hospital, Tabora region, Tanzania.
Methodology: A total of 203 HIV/AIDS individuals diagnosed by serological tests at Sikonge hospital, filled structured questionnaires and were clinically examined for oral lesions. A standard oral examination method recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) was used to examine the peri-oral and oral structures. Data entry and analysis was done by using SPSS. 10 computer programme
Result: Majority of HIV/AIDS patients (69.9%) were in 3rd and 4th decades of life with more females (54.2%) than males. Various types of oral lesions were found with a prevalence of 61.6%, oral candidiasis being the most prevalent (34%). About 70% of examined individuals had enlarged regional lymph nodes and 21.2% were found to have periodontal disease. A total of 57 individuals (28.7%) reported some salivation problems.
Conclusion: The prevalence of oral lesions among the examined individuals from this essentially rural based population was high. However, the distribution and relative frequency of the different lesions is variable from that from other studies. There is need for setting a widely accepted criteria of classifying oral and peri-oral lesions associated with HIV/AIDS.
Tanzania Dental Journal 12(2) 2006: 58-64
Type of study: Cross-sectional study. Population: HIV/AIDS individuals attended at Sikonge hospital. Setting: HIV/AIDS Counselling and Treatment Centre (CTC) at Sikonge Designated District Hospital, Tabora region, Tanzania.
Methodology: A total of 203 HIV/AIDS individuals diagnosed by serological tests at Sikonge hospital, filled structured questionnaires and were clinically examined for oral lesions. A standard oral examination method recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) was used to examine the peri-oral and oral structures. Data entry and analysis was done by using SPSS. 10 computer programme
Result: Majority of HIV/AIDS patients (69.9%) were in 3rd and 4th decades of life with more females (54.2%) than males. Various types of oral lesions were found with a prevalence of 61.6%, oral candidiasis being the most prevalent (34%). About 70% of examined individuals had enlarged regional lymph nodes and 21.2% were found to have periodontal disease. A total of 57 individuals (28.7%) reported some salivation problems.
Conclusion: The prevalence of oral lesions among the examined individuals from this essentially rural based population was high. However, the distribution and relative frequency of the different lesions is variable from that from other studies. There is need for setting a widely accepted criteria of classifying oral and peri-oral lesions associated with HIV/AIDS.
Tanzania Dental Journal 12(2) 2006: 58-64
