Periodontal Management of HIV-infected Patients : An Overview

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bpj/768

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Recognition and diagnosis of the general oral manifestations and specific periodontal manifestations of HIV infection will continue to be a major responsibility of the dental practitioner. By combining local and systemic therapy aimed at both preventing and treating oral lesions and periodontal diseases, combined with new systemic antiviral and vaccine therapies, dental and medical practitioners may together help reduce both the dental morbidity and the overall patient morbidity in the HIV infected patient. With the advent of newer pharmacological approaches to the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, the incidence and progression of both atypical and conventional periodontal diseases are changing. While the accepted approaches to treating the spectrum of periodontal diseases in HIV patients remain essentially unchanged over the past 15 years, the impact of newer systemic therapies on patient immunocompetence may influence treatment decisions.

HIV; periodontitis,immunocompetence; systemic antiviral and vaccine therapies; highlyactiveantiretroviraltherapy