Saeeda Baig, Mohammad Haris Lucky, Areeba Qamar, Farah Ahmad, Shaji Khan, Waqas Ahmed, Talaiha Chughtai, Wafa Hassan, Batool Akhlaq Hussain, Azeem Khan.
Human papilloma virus and oral lesions in gutka eating subjects in Karachi.
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak Jan ;22(3):135-8.

Objective: To determine the frequency of HPV in eaters of Gutka (betel, areca, lime and tobacco concoction), presenting with oral lesions. Study Design: A descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Ziauddin University Research Laboratory, from February to July 2010. Methodology: Subjects munching Gutka fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Samples were collected in the form of 20 - 40 ml oral rinse from 262 subjects who were habitual eaters of Gutka after an informed consent. Gentle brushings from the lesion were taken from subjects with the help of a brush at the other end of dental floss and the oral rinse was stored at 4°C until DNA extraction. DNA was extracted and PCR was performed using HPV consensus primers Gp5+/Gp6+. Oral cavity was examined for the presence of ulcer, trismus, sub-mucosal fibrosis, leukoplakia and/or warts. Results: Out of 262 subjects, 42 were females and 220 males with an average age of 27± 10 years. HPV was positive in 47 subjects (17.9%). HPV frequency was 2.7% greater in chewers with more than 10 years of habit compared to less than 10 years. Examination of oral cavity showed 78% presenting with more than one complaint including oral ulcers (25%), rough mucosa (62%), sub-mucosal fibrosis (24%), leukoplakia (20%) and erythroplakia (10.6%). Highest frequency of HPV was observed in erythroplakia (25%). Association between presence of symptoms and HPV shows an ODDS RATIO: ad/bc= 4982/430=11.6 Conclusion: Oral lesions caused by constant exposure to Gutka are associated with high frequency of HPV infection, which may be a risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. People should be educated about the consequences of Gutka abuse.

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