Could the Dental Office Be the Next Stop for HPV Vaccination?

In 2006, the first vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV) was introduced. Since then, infections with the HPV strain that causes cervical cancer have decreased by 88% among teen girls and 81% in young women. The number of cervical precancers related to HPV has dropped by 40%.¹ This is science in action.

And HPV not only causes cervical cancer but oral cancers as well. Out of the total number of oropharyngeal cases in the United States, 70% are caused by HPV infection.² And what impact has the HPV vaccine had on these numbers? The prevalence of HPV-related oral infections has decreased by 88%.³

However, as the state of West Virginia has found, these health gains cannot be realized if people don’t have access to the vaccine. Approximately 57% of West Virginia teens have received the HPV vaccine compared to a national average of 63%. It ranks in the bottom rung (43rd) in the country for HPV vaccination.⁴

These low rates have big consequences for West Virginians who have some of the highest numbers of HPV-related cancers. And who is being called to help improve HPV vaccination rates? Dentists and dental hygienists.

A pilot project used a dental hygienist in a rural dental practice to educate patients about the value and safety of the HPV vaccination. Lauren French, BSDH, RDH, who practices in the only dental office in Pocahontas County, educated 34 patients about the HPV vaccine and 10 agreed to be vaccinated. Unfortunately, none ever received the vaccine. Why? Because the medical clinic that provides the vaccinations is another stop patients must make.

So now the West Virginia Oral Health Coalition is supporting a push to create legislation that would enable dentists and dental hygienists to administer the HPV vaccine. This way, patients can receive a vaccination in the dental setting without having to make another trip.

Enabling an already highly educated workforce to administer a simple vaccine seems straightforward but it requires a change to the state code and approval by the West Virginia Board of Dentistry. The Oral Health Coalition plans to reach out to lawmakers before the start of the legislative session in January 2027. Click here to read more.

References

1. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Impact of the HPV Vaccine.
2. Shu J. Does the HPV vaccine prevent oral cancer?
3. National Cancer Institute. HPV Vaccination Linked to Decreased Oral HPV Infections.
4. Wright L. Improving HPV vaccination rates in rural West Virginia through the HPV dental integration pilot project.