AIDS: An Epidemiological Study on Correlation between HIV- Related Oral Lesions and Plasma Levels of CD4, CD8 T Lymphocytes Counts and Ratio among 50 Patients

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate oral manifestations of HIV /AIDS patients and to correlate their occurrence with plasma levels of CD4+, CD8+ counts and CD4/CD8 ratio.
Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration: Odontology Unit, St-Antoine Hospital, a two- year study.
Methodology: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, 50 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were assessed. The relationships between oral lesions and CD4+, CD8+ cell counts and CD4/CD8 ratio were evaluated.
Results: The mean CD4+ counts and CD8+ counts were 167.12 cells/mm3 and 979.66 cells/mm3 and the mean CD4/CD8 ratio were 0.25. All patients displayed at least one oral manifestation. The most common identified oral lesion was pseudo- membranous candidiasis, accounting for 76% (38/50) followed by periodontal disease 34% (17/50), herpetic lesions, and hairy leukoplakia 10% for each (5/50), gingivitis 8% (4/50), oral ulceration 8% (4/50), Kaposi’s sarcoma 6% (3/50), and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma 2% (1/50).
Conclusion: The CD4+ count was decreasing and the presence of oral lesions were increasing in this study. No relation was found between the presence of oral lesions and CD4/CD8 ratio. Progression to AIDS was characterized by increased prevalence of some oral lesions such as candidiasis, hairy leukoplakia and Kaposi’s sarcoma. The clinical appearance of oral lesions was more pronounced when CD4+ count was low.