Adverse effects of antiretroviral therapy: focus on orofacial effects.

The optimum anti-HIV drug has yet to be found. This paper will summarise some of the oral adverse effects associated with antiretroviral agents against HIV. The development of antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV infection has been aimed at the inactivation of two HIV enzymes: reverse transcriptase and proteases. Erythema multiforme, ulcers and xerostomia are the main oral side effects associated with reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Parotid lipomatosis, taste disturbance, xerostomia and perioral paraesthesia are oral adverse effects, which are mainly related to protease inhibitor therapy. The search for new antiretrovirals with different active mechanisms and patterns of resistance constitutes a key question in HIV treatment. The use of new drugs and drug combinations will lead to the appearance of oral lesions, which will be difficult to identify and treat and which cannot be ignored by the practitioner.