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NCT Number: NCT06055868

People Living With HIV, Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer, and Health Equity

This is an exploratory qualitative study among People Living With HIV (PLWH) of diverse racial/ethnic and sexual and gender minority (SGM) identities to explore individual, interpersonal, and structural oral health equity factors that serve as barriers or facilitators of accessing oral health care, knowledge and perceptions of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) /Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), and to collect recommendations on how to increase access to oral health care and engage PLWH in OSCC/OPSCC prevention.

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Key information

Conditions

HIV Infections Behavior Blood-Borne Infections Carcinoma Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Coitus Communicable Diseases DNA Virus Infections Disease Attributes Genital Diseases Head and Neck Neoplasms Immune System Diseases Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes Infections Lentivirus Infections Neoplasms Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms by Site Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Papillomavirus Infections Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms RNA Virus Infections Retroviridae Infections Sexual Behavior Sexually Transmitted Diseases Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck Tumor Virus Infections Urogenital Diseases Virus Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

University of California, San Francisco

San Francisco, California, 94143, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Alexandra Hernandez Levenston, PhD, MPH

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Joel Palefsky, MD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Ola Ogunbayo, MD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

William Juarez

CONTACT

[email protected]

415-437-7439

About this study

OBJECTIVES:

  • To identify individual, interpersonal, and structural oral health equity factors (e.g., internalized stigma; enacted stigma; transportation/hours) that serve as barriers or facilitators to accessing regular and appropriate oral health care, among PLWH of intersecting racial/ethnic and SGM groups.
  • To explore knowledge and perceptions about causes, risk factors, prevention, and screening for OSCC/OPSCC and HPV vaccination and if identity group membership influences knowledge and perceptions of these issues.
  • To elicit recommendations for improving access to regular and appropriate oral health care, and suggestions on how to engage PLWH from diverse identity groups in prevention interventions.

OUTLINE:

There will be one screening and enrollment phone call and only one study visit for the Focus Group Discussions (FDGs). A short quantitative survey will be administered.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Participants must be 18-years old or older.
  • Participants must be individuals living with HIV
  • Ability to speak and understand English
  • Identify as one or more racial/ethnic minority groups or sexual and gender minority groups
  • All genders and members of all races and ethnic groups are eligible for this study.

Exclusion criteria

  • Younger than 18-years old.
  • Not living with HIV.
  • Not able to speak and understand English.
  • Not classified as one or more racial/ethnic minority groups or sexual and gender minority groups.

Treatment and study plan

Group Meeting (Focus Group)

Other

Focus Group Discussions (FDGs) will be recorded, transcribed, and coded.

questionnaires

Other

Given electronically or via phone by study team staff

Primary outcomes

  1. Identification of potential oral health equity factors

    Time frame: Up to 3 days

    Participants will complete a baseline questionnaire which will aid in the formation of the focus group with other individuals of shared identity. The Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) will be transcribed, coded, and the focus group guide will be updated following the Grounded Theory qualitative research methodology. The "data" from the FGD are the audio recordings and the transcripts. The digital transcript of each focus group will be uploaded to the software MAXQDA to aid with coding and analysis in identifying individual, interpersonal, and structural factors, if any, that may impact accessing oral health care.

Other outcomes

  1. Assess participant perceptions about OSCC/OPSCC and HPV vaccination

    Time frame: During focus group, 1 day

    FGDs will be transcribed, coded, and the focus group guide will be updated following the Grounded Theory qualitative research methodology. The "data" from the FGD are the audio recordings and the transcripts. The digital transcript of each focus group will be uploaded to the software MAXQDA to aid with coding and analysis in assessing information on participant's perception of causes, risk factors, prevention, and screening for OSCC/OPSCC and HPV vaccination.

  2. Assess participant knowledge about OSCC/OPSCC and HPV vaccination

    Time frame: During focus group, 1 day

    FGDs will be transcribed, coded, and the focus group guide will be updated following the Grounded Theory qualitative research methodology. The "data" from the FGD are the audio recordings and the transcripts. The digital transcript of each focus group will be uploaded to the software MAXQDA to aid with coding and analysis in assessing information on participant's knowledge of causes, risk factors, prevention, and screening for OSCC/OPSCC and HPV vaccination

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

William Juarez

CONTACT

[email protected]

(415) 437-7439

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Francisco

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

Registry information

Official study title

People Living With HIV (PLWH), Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer, and Health Equity: A Qualitative Study

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
Sep 28, 2023
Registry last updated
Jun 18, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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