Detection of human Papillomavirus 16 and 18 in the Saliva of Indonesian dental residents in Jakarta

Occupational hazard risk related to viral infection are considerably high in dental professionals due to direct contact with saliva during treatment. Recent studies have found that High-Risk (HR) Human Papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 was detected in the saliva of healthy individuals. The aim of this study was to test for HPV 16 and 18 in the saliva of dentists. This was a cross sectional study involving the female dental residents in the Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Indonesia that met the inclusion criteria (n = 73). The subjects were instructed to follow certain protocols before collecting saliva; deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted using QiaAmp DNA mini blood kit 250 and the presence of HPV 16 or 18 was detected by polymerase chain reaction. HPV 16 and 18 were not detected. This was inconsistent with the findings of a few previous studies; however, the results were consistent with those of a previous study with similar subjects in Jakarta. This study did not detect HPV 16 and 18 in the female resident population. Several variables might contribute to this finding, such as good infection control and safe sexual practices. Our findings were inconsistent with the previous study. However, the risk of HPV infection in the dentist or patient due to direct contact cannot be ignored and needs further investigation.