Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of human papilloma viruses (HPV) in oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) and the etiologic implication of this finding warrants further studies.
Objective: The prevalence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and OSMF is high in India, and the diseases are partly attributed to high consumption of betel quid containing areca nut and tobacco. This study investigated the prevalence of HPV, herpes simplex virus (HSV), and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA in two groups of patients using betel quid with tobacco, those with OSMF (n = 12) and those with OSCC (n = 62).
Methods: DNA was extracted from all the samples and viral genome was examined by PCR/DNA sequencing. HPV-positive samples were analyzed separately for the high-risk types HPV 16 and 18.
Results: HPV DNA, HSV DNA, and EBV DNA were detected in 11 (91%), 1 (8%), and 3 (25%) of the 12 samples from patients with OSMF compared with 15 (24%), 3 (5%), and 18 (29%), respectively, from 62 patients with OSCC. HPV 16 and 18 DNA was detected in 8/12 (67%) in the OSMF group and 10/62 (16%) in the OSCC group. The difference between presence of HPV DNA in OSMF and OSCC groups was statistically significant, while the difference between HSV and EBV DNA content in OSMF and OSCC groups was insignificant.