Clinical Edge

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Prevalence of Oral HPV Infection in Men & Women

Ann Intern Med; ePub 2017 Oct 17; Sonawane, et al

Publish date:

Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are common among US men, according to a recent study that examined the prevalence of oral HPV infection, as well as the concordance of oral and genital HPV infection, among both US men and women. The nationally representative survey included adults aged 18 to 64 years from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES), 2011-2014. Researchers found:

  • Overall prevalence of oral HPV infection was 11.5% in men and 3.2% in women.
  • High-risk oral HPV infection was more prevalent among men vs women.
  • Among men and women who reported having same-sex partners, the prevalence of high-risk HPV infection was 12.7% and 3.6%, respectively.
  • Among men who reported having ≥2 same-sex oral sex partners, the prevalence of high-risk HPV infection was 22.2%.
  • Oral HPV prevalence among men with concurrent genital HPV infection was 4-fold greater than among those without it.
  • High-risk oral HPV infection was greatest among black participants, those who smoked >20 cigarettes daily, current marijuana users, and those who reported ≥16 lifetime vaginal or oral sex partners.

Citation:

Sonawane K, Suk R, Chiao EY, et al. Oral human papillomavirus infection: Differences in prevalence between sexes and concordance with genital human papillomavirus infection, NHANES 2011 to 2014. [Published online ahead of print October 17, 2017]. Ann Intern Med. doi:10.7326/M17-1363.

Commentary:

Oral HPV has become a public health concern because of its link to oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, the incidence of which has been increasing dramatically over the last 10 years. HPV vaccine protects against infection with vaccine-covered oral HPV subtypes, and this increase in incidence of oral HPV as well as the increase in oropharyngeal carcinoma is an important additional reason for recommending HPV vaccine to adolescent males. —Neil Skolnik, MD

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