Syphilis (oral pathology) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Syphilis (oral pathology) - Research Paper Example In considering the increase in reported cases of syphilis healthcare practitioners, including medical and dental experts, attempted differential diagnoses on oral lesions among those HIV-infected patients. The United States of America has seen the number of reported cases of syphilis in the United States of America rise significantly since 2001; the highest number of reported cases in the world occurred during the period between 2007 and 2008 (Ramirez-Amador et al, 2012). With the number of reported cases of syphilis on the rise, the healthcare community has also seen an increase in concerns among healthcare professionals over the last decade. Healthcare professionals, such as Buchacz & Klausner in 2008, have undertaken various studies in order to attempt to understand the correlation between HIV-infections and secondary syphilis; other studies have confirmed that HIV-infections modify the clinical presentation of syphilis. In order for healthcare professionals to best understand the clinical signs and symptoms of syphilis in an HIV-infected patient, they will need to understand the main symptoms of syphilis, as well as have comprehensive knowledge of the client’s treatment his tory. Scientific data on the oral manifestation of syphilis among HIV-infected patients is very limited; in addition, some healthcare experts confuse the clinical presentation of syphilis with other health conditions, such as squamous cell, carcinomas, hairy leukoplakia, lupus erythematous, oral ulcerations, oral candidiasis and lichen planus (Ramirez-Amador et al, 2012). As a result of the wide spectrum of oral clinical presentation of syphilis among HIV-infected patients, the process of identifying a secondary syphilis infection may become complicated. By considering the fact that reported cases of syphilis have been on the rise over the past decade, especially in HIV-infected patients, this study will