Human Herpesvirus Detection in Removable Denture Wearers' Saliva Compared to Dentate Cases.

In this study, 100 saliva samples, including 57 (57%) men and 43 (43%) women, were examined. The mean age of the case group was 71.6±10.2 years, and the mean age of the control group was 67.3±15.3 years. All the case and control groups were matched. Table 1 shows the viruses that were found in the case and control groups. In the dentate subjects, no HSV-1 and HSV-2, CMV and EBV, and HHV-6 were detected. However, 4 (8%) of the case group were infected with HSV-1, and 1 (2%) of them were infected with HSV-2. Moreover, 1 (2%) of the case group had EBV infection, 2 (4%) had CMV infection, and 2 (4%) had HHV-6 infection. There were no underlying diseases in the control group. There was no statistically significant correlation between underlying diseases such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus and HSV-1 and HSV-2 prevalence (P=0.412). Furthermore, no statistically significant correlation was found between the underlying diseases and EBV, CMV, and HHV-6 infection (P=0.406). HSV-1, HSV-2, HHV-6, EBV, and CMV were detected in the saliva of denture wearers. The Chi square test indicated a higher and more significant HSV-1 value among denture wearers. For the other viruses, however, there was no significant difference between case and control groups. A previous study found HHV-8 in denture wearers’ saliva, 5 similar to what we detected regarding HSV-1. Except for HSV-1, the findings of the present study indicated no significant difference between the case and control groups. Therefore, further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended. This study could pave the way for further research regarding the significance and risk of these viruses in edentulous cases.