Salivary-Based High-Risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Strain: Screening and Detection in Female Indonesian and Thai Dental Students

Oral/oropharyngeal cancer represents one of the most common types of head and neck cancer. Worldwide estimated incidence of oral/oropharyngeal cancer is more than 250,000 new cases per year. The estimated incidence of oral/oropharyngeal cancers in Southeast Asian countries in 2008 was 15,300 new cases. Indonesia ranked as the country having the sixth highest incidence of oral/oropharyngeal cancer, with an estimated incidence of approximately 5,000 new cases, followed by China, Taiwan and Thailand with more than 4,000 new cases. (Bray et al., 2013) According to the Thailand Cancer Registry, the Northeast region of Thailand has the highest incidence of oral/oropharyngeal cancer, with increased incidence rates in females. (Vatanasapt et al., 2011) It is generally accepted that the most common risk factors for oral/oropharyngeal cancers are tobacco