Severe Necrotizing Periodontitis in an HIV-Infected Patient: Case Report and Non-Surgical Treatment

Systemic management and periodontal treatment of HIV-necrotizing periodontitis: A case report

BACKGROUND

Necrotizing periodontitis (NP) is a rare form of periodontal disease. It can manifest in immunocompromised patients and present as painful and rapidly progressing destruction with necrotic and ulcerated periodontal tissues. This case report describes a rare case of severe NP in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patient including medical management and periodontal treatment.

METHODS

A 28-year-old male presented to the periodontal clinic with chief complaint of severe oral pain leading to loss of chewing ability, spontaneous gingival bleeding, generalized gingival recession, tooth mobility, and dentinal hypersensitivity. Clinical and radiographic examination revealed generalized tissue necrosis with severe periodontal destruction, extensive bleeding, spontaneous suppuration, and heavy biofilm.

RESULTS

Medical history was positive for perinatal HIV infection, which was treated and patient was asymptomatic until he discontinued antiviral medications nine years ago. Following initial examination, patient was referred to the Infectious disease clinic and multidisciplinary management was initiated with comprehensive management of primary disease including systemic antiviral, antibiotic, and antifungal therapy to establish immunocompetence compatible with providing mechanical nonsurgical periodontal treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

This case report highlights a severe and generalized form of NP in an HIV patient due to the cessation of antiviral therapy. Favorable course of interdisciplinary medical and periodontal therapy resulted in significant improvement in patient's systemic, oral, and periodontal health.

A case of early-onset periodontitis with vitamin D deficiency: A case report and literature review

RATIONALE

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease with multifactorial etiology. Vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin, has protective effects on inflammatory response in various systemic conditions. The clinical features of vitamin D deficiency include growth failure, hypotonia, pathologic fractures, rachitic rosary, tetany and so on. Here we present a case of 12-year-old girl affected by early-onset periodontitis accompanied with vitamin D deficiency.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 12-year-old girl with gingival redness, bleeding associated with tooth brushing, and mandibular anterior teeth movement, with difficulty in mastication for the past 2 months. There is no relevant family history or special systemic disease history. The serological microelement test showed vitamin D levels were significantly lower than normal range. Immunological test showed abnormal CD4+/CD8+(CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+) ratio as well.

DIAGNOSES

Based on the clinical and serological findings, this patient was ultimately diagnosed with early-onset periodontitis accompanied with vitamin D deficiency.

INTERVENTIONS

The main treatments for this patient were 3-fold: periodontal therapy, vitamin D supplement and oral hygiene instructions.

OUTCOMES

Following 1-year therapy, periodontal conditions recovered and became stable. And serological vitamin D levels returned to normal range.

LESSONS

The case of interest serves as an important reminder to clinicians, that the early-onset periodontitis may be associated with micronutrients abnormalities, and early-diagnosis and treatment could avoid the body heathy disorders.

Digital Assessment of the Knowledge, Attitudes and Preparedness of Dentists towards Providing Dental Treatment to People Living with HIV in Northern Brazil

People living with HIV (PLWH) continue to face stigma and discrimination during dental treatment in Brazil. This study aimed to describe the sociodemographic, educational and professional characteristics of dentists working in the Northern Brazilian region and to identify the level of knowledge of these health professionals in relation to the care and management of PLWH using a digital form.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was population-based among dentists and was conducted between July and December 2021. A total of 396 dentists were invited using the "snowball" sampling technique and received an anonymous digital form (Google® Forms platform) composed of four blocks of dichotomous and multiple-choice questions. After signing the informed consent form, dentists were divided into seven groups according to the amount of time that had passed (in years) since they had completed their bachelor's degree in dentistry. A total of 25 questions referring to sociodemographic, educational and professional factors and knowledge about the dental care of PLWH were asked, and all data were presented as descriptive percentages and then analyzed using the Kappa test.

RESULTS

The average age was 31.9 years, and the states of Pará and Amazonas presented better knowledge about the dental care of PLWH. Dental prostheses (62/381-16.3%), orthodontics (57/381-15%) and periodontics (56/381-14.7%) were the most cited dental specialties, and demographic, professional and epidemiological characteristics showed a statistically significant difference regarding knowledge (<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The knowledge of dentists in Northern Brazil is partially high, although there is some lack of knowledge about the dental care of PLWH.

HIV Infection and Oral Manifestations: An Update

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes a complete depletion of the immune system; it has been a major health issue around the world since the 1980s, and due to the reduction of CD4+ T lymphocytes levels, it can trigger various opportunistic infections. Oral lesions are usually accurate indicators of immunosuppression because these oral manifestations may occur as a result of the compromised immune system caused by HIV infection; therefore, oral lesions might be initial and common clinical features in people living with HIV. So, it is necessary to evaluate and understand the mechanism, prevalence, and risk factors of oral lesions to avoid the increase morbidity among those with oral diseases.

Digital Form for Assessing Dentists' Knowledge about Oral Care of People Living with HIV

Oral lesions are usually the first sign of HIV infection. The present study aimed to determine the level of the knowledge of dentists on the dental care needs of People Living with HIV (PLWH). This cross-sectional study was conducted between February and May 2021, in the Brazilian state of Pará, during which a total of 51 dentists received an anonymous digital form (Google^® Forms Platform) composed of four blocks of discursive, dichotomous, and multiple-choice questions. The questions referred to various aspects of the dental care needs of PLWH, together with data on the professional activities of the dentists. After signing the term of informed consent, the dentists were divided into six subgroups according to the time (in years) since completing their bachelor’s degree in dentistry. The data were presented as descriptive statistics and percentages, and then analyzed using the Kappa test. Most (70.6%; 36 of 51) of the dentists were female, the mean age of the dentists was 32.5 years, and a majority (80.2%) were based in the city of Belem; the mean time since graduation was 8.5 years, with 22 (43.1%) having more than 5 years of professional experience, and 31 (60.8%) having graduated from a private dental college. Just over half (51%) of the 51 dentists had completed graduate courses, and the most common dental specialty was orthodontics (19.6%). Most (74.5%) of the dentists work in the private sector, 38 (74.5%) claimed to have already provided oral care to PLWH, and 43 (84.3%) had access to specialist content on the oral care needs of PLWH. In terms of the knowledge of the dentists with regard to the oral care needs of PLWH, four of the ten diagnostic questions obtained more inadequate answers than expected, whereas the final two questions (11–45.1% and 12–31.4%) demonstrated that many of the dentists adopt unnecessary modifications in their oral care protocol for PLWH, due to a fear of contamination. Overall, our results demonstrate a frequent lack of knowledge, especially with regard to the oral healthcare needs of PLWH, which may account for many of the stigmas that persist in the dental care of this vulnerable group.