Prevalence Of Oral Lesions In Adult Patients Infected By The Human Immunodeficiency Virus And Its Association With Cd4 Counts In Oshakati Hospital, Namibia

ABSTRACT

In dentistry HIV/AIDS patients with oral lesions are encountered regularly, hence early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important so as to prolong the patient’s life. The researcher had noticed over time, what appeared to be a significant number of patients with oral lesions who were eligible for highly active antiretroviral therapy treatment, but who were not initiated. Applicable guidelines were available on how to manage patients with oral lesions as well as recommendations to initiate these patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy, even without the recommended CD4 counts. There were also no studies in Namibia on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS-associated oral and peri-oral lesions and their association with CD4 counts. It is against this background that this study was conducted to explore and describe the magnitude and prevalence of the different types of oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS and their association with CD4 counts among adult patients attending the Communicable Disease Clinic at the Oshakati Hospital. A quantitative cross sectional design was used in this study, and 360 patients, representing a 96% participation rate, were included in the study. Examinations of these patients for oral lesions were done using a checklist based on European Community Clearinghouse criteria. In addition CD4 count results were obtained from patient’s health passports or laboratory results.