Papiloma bucal en pacientes Pediátricos: Potencial Transmisión Materna

current evidence indicates that human papillomavirus (hpv) can be transmitted both sexually and nonsexually. when the route of contagion is nonsexual, the mother appears to be the main transmitter of hpv to the newborn. several authors report detection of hpv dna in amniotic fluid, umbilical cord, placenta and fetal membranes, suggesting that the mother can infect the infant during pregnancy or childbirth. after transmission of virus from mother to newborn, clinical manifestations may appear at any stage in life, affecting mucous membranes, skin or both. when children present with oral papilloma, possible etiologies are direct contact, self-innoculation, sexual abuse or violence. however, when none of these causes are evident, family history should be investigated, especially if the mother manifested hpv infection during pregnancy. we present two cases of pediatric patients with clinical impression of oral papilloma without obvious cause. histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of hpv and route of transmission was established as mother-to-child, since mothers reported cervical hpv infection during pregnancy. furthermore, the childrens′ medical histories did not indicate any other route of contagion for the virus.