Dear doctor, thanks for all the good work. My question is: I have read that there are two times after infection that a person could be symptomatic. Once, 2-6 weeks after infection, then as much as 10 years later. My question is when do oral problems usually occur in HIV+ people since they are not common durng ARS, and they aren't for the most part life threatening. I know it is impossible to give an exact answer but on average when will a HIV+ person show oral health problems such as candiasis after infection? Thanks for your time.

Oral manifestations are most frequently seen when the CD4 count is 200 or below. There have been studies which looked at the question you ask prior to the advent of HAART. In one of these studies they looked at oral manifestations and CD4 count and found that some oral manifestations, such as candidiasis, is seen at CD4 counts greater than 200 with some frequency and others such as long-standing, non-healing oral ulcerations were almost always seen at CD4 counts less than 200.

DR