[01] Safa Abdelazim Ahmed Osman, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Khartoum Teaching Dental Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan. [02] Khalid Abd Allah Enan, Department of Virology, Central Laboratory, Ministry of Science and Communication, Khartoum, Sudan. [03] Elneel Ahmed Mohamed, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Khartoum Teaching Dental Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan.

Background: In oral squamous cell carcinoma (O.S.C.C) many factors are attributed in the etiology of it including environmental and genetic factors. An important role in the etiology is played by oncogenic viruses. The most commonly implicated viruses in oral squamous cell carcinoma were the human papilloma viruses, herpes group, adenoviruses, and hepatitis C virus. Methodology: An observational descriptive retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Khartoum Teaching Dental Hospital and the Department of Virology, Central Laboratory, Ministry of Science and Communication; in the period of 2014 and 2015 using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A total of 117 paraffin embedded tissue samples from oral squamous cell carcinoma were collected. DNA was extracted and HSV-1 & HSV-2 were detected using PCR. Results: 117 paraffin embedded tissues were examined to detect HSV-1 & HSV-2 DNA with PCR after the extraction of DNA. HSV-1 was detected in twenty two samples while HSV-2 was detected in eight cases. Fifty seven patients (48.7%) had S.C.C in the mandible and 22 patients (18.8%) in the maxilla. Seventeen patients (14.5%) had lesions in the tongue, and sixteen (13.7%) had it in the lower lip. There was significant increase of occurrence of HSV-1 and oral squamous cell carcinoma in the mandible (p >.05). Conclusion: Herpes viruses could be one of the factors that lead to oral squamous cell carcinoma as type 1 has a significant increase specially in the mandible.

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, HSV1, HSV2, PCR, Khartoum, Sudan

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