LAUSR

OBJECTIVE To assess quantitative HPV16 and HPV18 detection in oral rinses obtained in dental offices in Seattle, Washington. METHODS We evaluated oral rinses collected during dental visits from 2016-2018. Multiplex TaqMan qPCR was used to determine HPV16 and HPV18 viral load (VL). RESULTS Of 15313 persons, 152 (1%) had detectable oral HPV16/18. Men were at higher risk of oral HPV16/18 infection than women (1.6% vs 0.6%; OR 3.2, 95%CI 2.1-4.4). Compared to women, men with HPV16 were older (median 55 vs 48 years, P< 0.001) and had higher VL (39.7 vs 1.1 copies/mL, P< 0.001). Of 39 with HPV16 at baseline and a second oral rinse, 13 remained positive at subsequent rinse; of 8 with HPV18 at baseline, 2 remained positive at subsequent rinse. Persons with consecutive positive tests were all men and had higher baseline VL compared to those with first positive and second negative samples. CONCLUSION Oral rinse is an acceptable method of HPV testing and persons are interested in testing. Overall HPV16/18 prevalence was low, and detection was more frequent among men than women, especially at higher copy numbers. HPV16 persistence was more common in men with high VL at baseline test. Future studies are needed to evaluate the feasibility of an effective secondary prevention strategy for oropharyngeal cancer using quantitative oral HPV detection.