Association of Human Papillomavirus -16 with Oral Leukoplakia– A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Persistent infection with HPV-16 can lead to premalignant lesions and oral squamous cell carcinoma. Despite high HPV prevalence in oral lesions, the exact relationship between HPV infection and these lesions needs further investigation. Objective: This study aims to determine the association of HPV-16 with oral leukoplakia by comparing its prevalence in tissue scrapings from lesions and non-lesional sites in the same patients. Methods: Twenty subjects with histopathologically confirmed oral leukoplakia were enrolled. Brushing with Cytobrush was performed on both lesion sites (cases) and non-lesional sites (controls). DNA was isolated and HPV-16 presence was analyzed using RT-PCR. Statistical significance was determined using the Fisher–Freeman–Halton exact test, with a P value of < 0.05 considered significant. Results: In a cohort of 20 patients, HPV-16 was detected in 15% of the case group, whereas no HPV-16 positivity was observed in the control group. Only the lesion site showed a statistically significant correlation with HPV-16 infection ( P = 0.014), while other parameters showed no significant associations. Conclusion: The present study showed a low prevalence of HPV-16 in oral leukoplakia, and a significant association of HPV-16 was noted only in relation to the site of the lesion ( P = 0.014). However, considering that the sample size was small, further studies may be required to determine the association.