Young Women and Oral Human Papillomavirus—Vaccination Is Associated With Protection
Menée aux Etats-Unis sur la période 2007-2017 auprès de 1 259 adolescentes sexuellement actives (âge médian : 18 ans), cette étude évalue l'efficacité du vaccin quadrivalent pour réduire le risque d'infection orale par le papillomavirus humain
The study by Schlecht et al of adolescent girls and young women answers 4 important questions. First, do sexually active adolescent girls and young women have detectable oral human papillomavirus (HPV)? Second, if so, how long does it take for oral HPV to be cleared? Third, is oral HPV associated with HPV in other anatomic sites? Fourth, in this population, is vaccination with the quadrivalent HPV vaccine associated with reduced prevalence of oral HPV? The authors found that, yes, the study participants who attended an urban, free adolescent clinic had oral HPV, because 6.2% of their oral rinses had HPV types that can cause mucosal infections. Second, the participants overall quickly cleared their incident oral HPV. Third, detectable cervical HPV was associated with oral HPV, linking HPV at the cervix as an indicator of future detection of HPV in the oral cavity. Fourth, and most significant, if the participants had received at least 1 dose of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine, they had a lower risk of oral HPV than those who were fully unvaccinated.