Aims and Objectives:To know the prevalence of Candidal colonization, and to isolate and know the Candidal species prevalent in the oral cavity from the oral rinse samples collected from the individuals attending to the Voluntary Counseling and Confidential Testing Center (VCCTC) and the antiretro-viral therapy (ART) Center at Government General Hospital, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, South India.Materials and Methods:The study group consisted of 50 HIV negative asymptomatic individuals (Group I); 50 HIV positive individuals (people living with HIV AIDS [PLWHA's]), who are naïve to antiretro-viral therapy (direct walk-in clients of VCCTC) (Group II); and 50 HIV positive individuals with CD4+ count less than 250 and who are started on highly active anti retroviral therapy (HAART) (Group III). Routine mycological tests for the isolation of pure cultures of Candida and also the speciation procedures were done.Results:In the study group, 53 (Group I=11; Group II=23; Group III=19) were culture positive. The prevalence of Candida was comparatively high in the age range between 41–50 years in Group II; 51–60 years, in Group III. A male predominance was observed in the Group I (M:F=16:6) and Group III (M:F=20:18), with a slight female predominance in the Group II (F:M=24:22). The overall culture positivity was 35.3%. Candida albicans was the highest prevalent species (47.17% of the isolates). A comparison of the culture positivity with the CD4 counts of the study subjects was statistically highly significant. A pair wise comparison of the culture positivity with that of the colony forming units/mL from the subjects showed a high significance between Group I and Group II, and between Group I and Group III.Conclusion:Candidal infections in immuno compromised patients are often severe, rapidly progressive, and difficult to treat and such patients have a definitive risk of developing oral candidiasis wherein, even the members of the normal oral flora may become pathogenic. Candida albicans is the common isolate. Nonalbicans species are also emerging as opportunistic pathogens. In view of this changing pattern, it is strongly recommended that species identification can help in much better treatment strategies, and thus, gain a good control over the disease. The findings of this study would be helpful in any further studies which, if done prospectively on a larger cohort, can be confirmatory.

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Background:Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains a global health problem, although the development of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has significantly modified the course of HIV disease into a manageable disease with improved quality-of-life mainly in the developed countries. Very few studies are available regarding effect of HAART on oral lesions in developing countries like India.Aims and Objectives:The aim was to document and compare oral lesions in HIV-seropositive patients before and after HAART.Materials and Methods:Oral manifestations were recorded in 320 HIV seropositive patients attending to the Voluntary Counseling and Confidential Testing Centre at the Government General Hospital, Guntur, before and after treating with HAART and the results were statistically analyzed using Student's t-test and Chi-square test.Results:Oral Candidiasis was significantly reduced in patients under HAART after 3 months. Furthermore, there was decreased incidence of periodontal diseases, but increased hyperpigmentation in patients undergoing HAART.Conclusion:The oral manifestations of HIV infection have changed due to the advent of HAART. Many opportunistic infections have resolved as a result of an improved immune system. Though the risk of hyperpigmentation in those with HAART has increased the prevalence of oral candidiasis and periodontal diseases were less in patients who had access to HAART.

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Introduction: Tobacco is the leading causative factor for both oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer. Tobacco use is higher among lower income population. Low-income population of India are majorly employed as industrial workers. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of oral lesions associated with tobacco related habits among industrial workers. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional epidemiological investigation was conducted among 1000 industrial workers using simple random sampling technique. Information on patient demographics, tobacco related (smoke and smokeless) and other deleterious habits, and clinical examination details were recorded in a structured format. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0. Results were tabulated using frequency distribution and mean with a standard deviation. Multiple logistical regression was used to analyze oral lesions by different variables. Results: Among the 1000 industrial workers screened, smoking habit was observed in 13.20%, while 86.8% were using smokeless tobacco. The prevalence of tobacco related oral lesions among individuals with smoke/smokeless tobacco habit was 13.8%. The study documented tobacco related oral lesions such as leukoplakia (6.5%), oral submucous fibrosis (2%), smoker’s palate (2.7%), tobacco related pigmentation (1.9%), erythroplakia (0.3%), and oral squamous cell carcinoma (0.2%). Conclusion: The study documented potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer among users with tobacco related habits. The results also revealed that higher prevalence of potentially malignant disorders over oral cancer. Thus, preventive programs for early detection of oral precancer and oral cancer such as tobacco cessation, tobacco counselling programs are emphasized for industrial workers.