Oral candidiasis and hairy leukoplakia as complications of HIV

What it is

Candidiasis, seen as oral thrush, and hairy leukoplakia are named among the complications of HIV. Either of them in the mouth is a reason to think of the retroviral infection behind it. Both are found at the same point of the oral inspection, on the extended tongue, where what is looked for is ulcers, geographic tongue, hairy leukoplakia, coating - that is thrush - and squamous cell carcinoma. The rest of the same inspection covers the mouth: the lips for ulcers, cracks or angular cheilitis, swelling, cyanosis and lesions; the teeth for caries, missing teeth and dental hygiene; the gums for swelling, bleeding, pigmentation and hypertrophy; the buccal mucosa for white patches, that is leukoplakia, lichen planus, ulcers and lesions; the hard and soft palate for clefts, ulcers, petechiae and nodules; the floor of the mouth for a ranula, sublingual masses and pooling saliva; and the tongue at rest for deviation, tremor and fasciculations.