ORAL MANIFESTATIONS OF HIV/AIDS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

¹Ighele E. Awirea and ²Glyn N. Chapmanb

¹College of health Sciences, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria

²School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen Scotland, UK

ABSTRACT

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a global health problem, with UNAIDS estimating the global burden to be a total 33.3million. Africa with 10% of the world’s population is estimated to bear 67% of this. The first features of HIV/AIDS may be the oral lesions, and a number of dental patients have been offered HIV screening/test on finding of oral lesions suggestive of HIV/AIDS. The explosion of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa has resulted in corresponding increase in the research and studies, making it necessary to review the information from studies. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of oral lesions of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa from included studies, To determine if the findings differ by gender or by region. Methods: An electronic search of four databases was carried out to identify studies that reported prevalence of oral lesions of HIV/AIDS. Results The prevalence of oral lesions reported was high. There were no significant differences in the occurrence of oral lesions in either gender. Prevalence increased with HIV/AIDS stage and deteriorating immunity.More studies will need to be done on the influence of potential confounders, such as lifestyles the immune status of infected individuals, and access to Health. 

Key Words: HIV/AIDS, Oral Lesions, sub-Saharan Africa