Prevalence of oral and oropharyngeal human papillomavirus in a sample of South African men: a pilot study.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is well known to be associated with head and neck cancers (HNCs). HPV-associated HNCs are related to sexual behaviour, particularly the lifetime number of oral sex partners, but the epidemiology of oral and oropharyngeal HPV in South African men has not yet been studied.

Objectives: To determine the oral and oropharyngeal HPV strain prevalence and associated factors in a selected male population in Pretoria, South Africa (SA).