Gender differences in risk factors and natural history of oral human papillomavirus ( HPV ) infection

Oral HPV16 infection causes oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), and prevalence is higher among men than women in the United States. In a cohort study of oral HPV infection among 409, 18-25 year-olds, risk significantly increased with recent (prior three months) number of oral sexual partners among men, but not women (p-interaction [pI] = 0.05). In contrast, risk significantly declined with lifetime number of vaginal sexual partners among women, but not men (pI= 0.037). Men were also significantly less likely to clear an oral HPV infection than women. Our data contribute to understanding gender differences in risk for HPV-positive OPSCC.