Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of
Clinical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria | Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of
Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria | Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of
Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria | Department of Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of
Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Note: [] Correspondence: Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, M.D., Department of
Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo
University, ILe-Ife, Nigeria. E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the
prevalence and types of oro-facial lesions and their relationship with the
degree of immune suppression in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected
children. This was compared with the prevalence among healthy HIV-negative
children. The study was carried out in a tertiary institution in Southwestern
Nigeria from May 2005 to March 2006. None of the children in the study had ever
been treated with antiretroviral drugs. Thirty-four (87.2%) of 39 HIV
infected children and two (9.5%) of the 21 HIV-uninfected children had
oro-facial lesions (Fisher's exact, P=0.0001). In the HIV-infected
children, lymphadenopathy was the commonest lesion (82.1%) followed by oral
candidiasis (43.6%), gingivitis (25.6%) and bilateral parotid enlargement
(25.6%). The most common form of candidiasis was pseudomembranous. All the
oro-facial lesions were more common in children with severe immune suppression
and were not related to the age, gender or socioeconomic class of the children.
It is therefore concluded that there is a high prevalence of oro-facial lesions
in HIV-infected children in this study particularly in those with severe immune
suppression. These lesions could serve as surrogate markers of HIV infection
and aid in initiating prompt diagnosis where routine laboratory investigation
for all children at risk is economically not feasible.
