HIV and AIDS in the Adolescent and Adult: An Update for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are among the most complex disease states in existence. HIV, AIDS, and their treatments have the potential to affect every system in the body, consequently influencing the oral surgery care of these patients. Additionally, patients often present to dentists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons with an oral lesion which may be an intial sign of HIV disease or evidence of worsening HIV disease. This article will provide an in-depth review of the pathogenesis of HIV, its systemic complications, antiretroviral therapies, and the oral manifestations of HIV and AIDS.