hpv vaccines C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 4 9 , Nº 9
Dental Professionals and Human Papillomavirus Vaccinations Alessandro Villa, DDS, PhD, MPH, and Dalton Pham, DMD
abstract Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Highrisk type HPV infections can cause many types of cancers, including oropharyngeal cancer. The HPV vaccine is the most effective method for the prevention of HPV-related cancers. However, HPV vaccination rates remain low in the United States. Dental professionals are well positioned to be at the forefront of educating patients about HPV, discussing the HPV vaccine and promoting vaccination with their patients. Keywords: Human papillomavirus, HPV, vaccinations
AUTHORS Alessandro Villa, DDS, PhD, MPH, is the chief of the Sol Silverman Oral Medicine Clinic and the program director for the oral medicine residency program at the University of California, San Francisco. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
Dalton Pham, DMD, is a graduate of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and is a resident in New York City. He has worked on HPV prevention with Dr. Villa for two years. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
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uman papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with approximately 80 million people, most in their late teens and early 20s, infected. HPV is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact.1 Almost every person who is sexually active who does not get the HPV vaccine will be infected with HPV in their lifetime, usually with no signs or symptoms. Most HPV infections clear spontaneously in one year, and only persistent high-risk HPV infections lead to multiple types of cancers, including oropharyngeal, cervical, anal, vaginal, vulvar and penile cancers. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report an annual average of nearly 45,300 HPV-related cancers in the U.S., with oropharyngeal cancer being
the most prevalent (19,775), followed by cervical (12,143) and anal (7,083) cancers.2 The incidence of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer has been increasing significantly over the past 30 years, especially among males. Men are almost three times more likely to have an oral HPV infection compared to women.3 The goal of this review is to provide a general overview of the current preventive strategies available for HPVassociated oropharyngeal cancer and discuss the role of dental professionals.
HPV Vaccination and Cancer Prevention
Most HPV-associated cancers are caused by persistent infection with HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58. Over 90% of HPV-related cancers are preventable through HPV vaccination, including oropharyngeal SEP TEMBER 2 0 2 1
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