Oral Manifestations of HIV Infection and Dental Health Needs of Children with HIV Attending HIV Treatment Clinics in Western Cameroon

Authors

  • Ashu Michael Agbor School of Dentistry, University of Montagnes, Bangangte, Cameroon
  • Karpal Singh Sohal Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • Nguitewou Loith Nguimfack School of Dentistry, University of Montagnes, Bangangte, Cameroon
  • Elvis Tarkang School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana
  • Enow O’rock George Bafoussam Regional Hospital, Cameroon
  • Sudeshni Naidoo Department of Community Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25259/IJMA_7_2024

Keywords:

  • HIV,
  • HAART,
  • Pathology,
  • Oral Manifestations,
  • Children,
  • Bafoussam

Abstract

Background and Objective

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has reduced morbidity related to HIV infection, but HIV infection remains a public health in the era of HAART. The aim of this study was to investigate the oral manifestations of children living with HIV in the city of Bafoussam, Cameroon.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out between February and April 2022 on children living with HIV/AIDS. A pretested questionnaire and data capture sheet were used to collect participants’ data after an interview and clinical examination.

Results

We recruited 163 children, including 89 (54.6%) boys and 74 (45.4%) girls aged 1–18 years. All participants presented with HIV-1 serology, 143 (88%) at WHO stage 1, all were on HAART, 62 (38%) had been on treatment for six years, 144 (89%) had a viral load of less than 1000 copies/ml, none of the children had an infection opportunistic and only 31.3% were taking cotrimoxazole as prophylaxis, 3 (1.8%) had dermatosis and 20 (12.3%) adenopathies. A third 49 (30%) had mucosal pathologies, 30 (19%) gingivitis, 15 (9%) candidiasis oral, and 40 (24.5%) caries pathology. There was a statistically significant association between viral load and caries pathology. Oral hygiene was poor and 151 (92.6%) of the children had never consulted a dental surgeon.

Conclusion and Global Health Implications

This study reveals that irrespective of compliance with HAART, some oral pathology related to HIV still persists. Therefore, early initiation to HAART and improvement of oral hygiene can further reduce these pathologies.

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Published

2024-09-20
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How to Cite

Agbor, A. M., Singh Sohal, K., Loith Nguimfack, N., Tarkang, E., O’rock George, E., & Naidoo, S. (2024). Oral Manifestations of HIV Infection and Dental Health Needs of Children with HIV Attending HIV Treatment Clinics in Western Cameroon. International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS, 13(Continuous), e022. https://doi.org/10.25259/IJMA_7_2024

License


Copyright © 2024 Ashu Michael Agbor, Karpal Singh Sohal, Nguitewou Loith Nguimfack, Elvis Tarkang, Enow O’rock George, Sudeshni Naidoo. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc., USA.

Creative Commons License

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , which permits others to remix, transform, and build upon the work non-commercially, provided the original author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the same terms.