Table 12: Basic HPV-Related Patient Education Information What is HPV?
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. It is a viral infection and can be spread through close skin-to-skin contact and sexual activity. Any sexually active individual can get HPV. In fact, it is believed that almost all sexually active individuals will be infected with HPV at least once in their lifetimes. There are more than 100 types of HPV. Not all of them cause health problems. Sixty types can cause warts on the hands and feet, and another 40 types are sexually transmitted. It is possible to be infected with multiple types at the same time. HPV virus types that are high risk can cause cancer; those that do not cause cancer are called low risk . Most HPV-related cancers are caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, or 18. People get HPV from another person during close contact or sexual activity. Risk factors include the number of lifetime sex partners (any type of sexual activity) one has had, and the number of lifetime sex partners (any type of sexual activity) one’s partner(s) have had. Any sexually active individual, no matter his or her age, is at risk for contracting the HPV virus. Most people who are infected with HPV never know it. HPV infections usually go away by themselves. The problem is that most people do not know when they become infected or when the virus clears. Yes, HPV causes changes in the body that can lead cancer to develop. HPV-related cancers include cervical cancer in women, penile cancer in men, and anal cancer in both men and women. HPV can cause cancer in the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils (oropharyngeal cancer). All of these cancers are caused by HPV infections that did not go away. The cancers develop slowly and may not be diagnosed until years, or even decades, after a person is initially infected with the virus. The HPV vaccine was not developed for oral cancer prevention. However, the vaccine targets HPV types 16 and 18, which are the types most often detected in oral cancers. It is believed that the virus will protect against oral cancers caused by HPV types 16 and 18, but currently the vaccine’s ability to protect against oral cancer has not been determined. Women can get tested for vaginal HPV, but currently there are no approved tests to detect HPV anywhere else in the body. Some tests for oral HPV are available, but the value of oral testing is not clear. The ADA does not recommend in-office oral HPV testing. There is no specific treatment for HPV, only for the health problems the virus causes. The best way is to receive the HPV vaccine. Using condoms correctly and consistently every time you have sex can lower your chances of getting all STIs, including HPV. However, HPV can infect areas that are not covered by a condom. You can be vaccinated for HPV if you are in the approved age groups for vaccination. The vaccine will protect only against HPV types specific to the vaccine, and those one is exposed to only after receiving the vaccine. Genital warts can be spread, so it is best to refrain from sex until the warts have been removed or go away on their own. It is not known how long a person can transmit the virus once the warts are gone. There have been studies investigating shared oral HPV virus types between couples; the research has been inconclusive.
How many types are there?
How do people get HPV? What are the risk factors for HPV?
What are the symptoms of HPV?
Can HPV cause cancer?
Can the HPV vaccine prevent oral cancer?
Can I get tested for HPV?
Can I get treated for HPV? How can I lower my chances of getting HPV?
Can I get an HPV vaccine?
If I have HPV, what does that mean to my sex partner’s health?
Note. Adapted from “Statement on Human Papillomavirus and Squamous Cell Cancers of the Oropharynx,” by the American Dental Association, n.d., retrieved from http://www.ada.org/en/about-the-ada/ada-positions-policies-and-statements/statement-on-human- papillomavirus-and-squamous-cel; Immunize .org. Human Papillomavirus. A Parent’s Guide to Preteen and Teen HPV Vaccination. November 2022b. https://www.immunize.org>catg.d; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Answering Parents’ Questions about HPV Vaccination. Last updated November 1, 2021d. https://www.cdc.gov>hpv>answering-questions; Oral Cancer Foundation. HPV / Oral Cancer Facts. © 2022. https//oralcancerfoundation.org>understanding>hpv…; Van Heerden, W. F. P., Raubenheimer, E. J. and Bunn, B. K. Human papillomavirus of the oral cavity: what the dentist should know. South African Dental Journal. Vol. 72. n 2. Johannesburg March 2017. Talking to adolescent patients about HPV
or their partner had used a condom during the most recent sexual intercourse. Findings across 35 states revealed that the prevalence of high school students having had sexual intercourse with four or more persons was 9.7% . The percentage of high school students reporting having had sexual intercourse for the first time before age 13 years was 3.4% (Kann, et al., 2017). Nationwide YRBSS findings for high school students revealed sexually active ninth (20.4%); tenth (36.2%); eleventh (47.3%) and twelfth (57.3%) (Kann et al., 2017). These data show that adolescents are sexually active and engaging in sexual behaviors that place them at risk of acquiring STIs, including HPV. Because adolescents
Many adolescents are sexually active. Although some parents do not want to acknowledge this fact, data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), an ongoing study of middle and high school students across the nation regarding a multitude of health risk behaviors, provides ongoing evidence of adolescent sexual activity. The 2017 report for high school students indicated that, nationwide, 39.5 of participants had engaged in sexual intercourse and that 28.7 % had sexual intercourse with at least one person during the three months before the survey; 53.8% of sexually active students reported that either they
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