"Oral HPV infection is strongly associated with oropharyngeal [oral] cancer among subjects with or without the established risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use," write Dr. D'Souza and colleagues in their summary statement.
With HPV in the news so much lately and the HPV vaccine for young girls, the majority of the public may not be aware that HPV is not just a cervical virus, but also an oral virus. Not only can it be both, but there are also many types of HPV, which are numbered and numerous.
HPV-16 is one type that has been found to have higher incidences of association with both oral infection and oral cancer. In fact, the authors state that "HPV-16 alone accounts for more than 90% of cases of HPV-positive squamous-cell carcinomas of the head and neck," according to a 2003 study by Herrero and colleagues.
Oral cancer was found to be strongly associated with exposure to HPV-16, with oral cancer, and also with the presence of oral HPV infection, according to the authors of the study.
The higher the numbers of oral or vaginal sex partners an individual has encountered, the higher and significantly riskier the chances are for developing oral cancer.
The study results indicate that "oral HPV infection" is acquired sexually and oral-genital contact was the strongest in association with acquiring oral cancer.
However, the study researchers also noted that direct mouth-to-mouth contact or even other means could not be ruled out in regard to the transmission of acquiring the oral form of the HPV infection, which can cause oral cancer.
The authors advocate giving the HPV vaccination to both boys and girls, according to the results of this study and the widespread practice of oral sex, particularly among adolescents. This is contingent upon the evidence of whether the "...vaccination is as effective in preventing oral HPV-16 infection as it is in preventing cervical infection...," write Dr. D'Souza and colleagues.
If this contingent hypothesis is correct, "a substantial reduction in the incidence of oropharyngeal [oral] cancer in vaccinated populations would provide the ultimate evidence...," according to the authors of the study.
