Oral health & HIV/AIDS.

Susan Gennaro, Sudeshi Naidoo, Peter Berthold

Journal: MCN. The American journal of maternal child nursing 2008;33(1):50-7

PMID: 18158528

Full Text on Ovid Technologies, Inc. View on PubMed

Abstract

Oral lesions are common in women and children with HIV/AIDS and may decrease the overall quality of life in these patients because of pain, dry mouth, and difficulty in eating. An oral cavity screening is an easy, noninvasive, quick, and inexpensive procedure that provides nurses with invaluable information about the need for referral, treatment, and health education. Nurses can use the information obtained from a careful oral screening to decrease the symptoms experienced with oral lesions and optimize a patient's ability to chew and enjoy food. Common oral manifestations of HIV infection include fungal, viral, and bacterial infections, although neoplasms, periodontal disease, salivary gland disease, and lesions of uncertain origin are also seen. Oral lesions such as candidiasis, oral hairy leukoplakia, herpetic ulcers, and Kaposi's sarcoma are often among the first symptoms of HIV infection.

Address: Florence and William Downs College of Nursing, New York University, New York, NY, USA. [email protected]

DOI: 10.1097/01.NMC.0000305658.32237.7d

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MeSH Terms: AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections, Adult, Candidiasis, Oral, Child, HIV Infections, Health Education, Dental, Humans, Internet, Leukoplakia, Hairy, Mass Screening, Mouth Diseases, Nurse's Role, Nursing Assessment, Nutrition Assessment, Oral Health, Oral Hygiene, Parotitis, Periodontal Diseases, Physical Examination, Sarcoma, Kaposi, Stomatitis, Herpetic