Extrahepatic manifestations of hepatitis C virus infection in the oral cavity

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people actively infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the world currently reaches 50 million.In the last few years, there has been a revolution in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and now safe interferon-free regimens based on drugs with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) are available in the treatment of HCV infections, the effectiveness of which exceeds 95%.As a result, according to WHO forecasts, it is possible to eliminate HCV infection by 2030.A necessary condition to achieve this goal is the diagnosis of the disease in patients unaware of the infection.Chronic HCV infection can lead to extrahepatic manifestations, including changes in the oral mucosa such as xerostomia, lichen planus, or periodontal diseases.The aim of this publication is to draw attention to the extrahepatic symptoms with which a patient infected with HCV may present to a dentist.