Human papillomavirus detection in oral rinses and history of tonsillectomy in U.S. adults

PurposeThis study aims to elucidate any relationship between prior tonsillectomy and the presence of oropharyngeal HPV DNA found in screening mouth rinses.Materials and methodsA cross sectional study was conducted using the 2011–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Participants between 40 and 69 were included in the study and medical, surgical, and sexual health history were recorded. Multivariable analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with HPV prevalence in oral rinse samples.ResultsA total of 4825 participants were recorded with 21.1 % having a history of tonsillectomy. In the no tonsillectomy group, 8.6 % of respondents had a positive oral rinse for HPV, while 7.2 % of those with a tonsillectomy had a positive rinse sample. There was no association between age and HPV prevalence (OR = 1.04, 95 % CI: [1.00–1.07]). When controlling for demographics, medical history, and sexual behaviors, tonsillectomy history was not shown to have an association with HPV (OR = 0.86, 95 % CI: [0.53–1.40]). However, men, Hispanics, smokers, and those with higher lifetime sexual partners had increased odds of having a positive HPV oral rinse sample which was statistically significant.ConclusionOur data showed that a history of tonsillectomy was not significantly associated with the presence of HPV in an oral rinse. However, a significant relationship was seen between the presence of HPV in oral rinses and certain demographic factors such as male gender, Hispanic race, smoking history, and increased sexual partners.