What’s the difference between the two OraRisk® HPV testing options offered by OralDNA® Labs?

One of the most commonly asked questions from patients and providers alike is  – “What’s the difference between the two OraRisk® HPV tests you offer?”  Simply answered: the main difference is the total number of HPV types tested.

The OraRisk® HPV Complete Genotyping test option will analyze the oral rinse specimen for 51 different types of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), including high risk, low risk and unknown risk types. If the sample is positive for the presence of HPV, it will then be genotyped to identify which HPV type is present with the associated risk for that type. The complete list of HPV types able to be identified in this assay are:  2a, 6, 11, 16, 18, 26, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 64, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84 and 89.

The OraRisk® HPV 16/18/HR test on the other hand will look strictly for the presence or absence of HPV type 16 and type 18, in addition to a panel of 12 high risk HPV types.  This panel of 12 high risk HPV types include: 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66 & 68. If a sample is positive for one of these 12 types, the assay will not specify which type, but simply state the sample is positive for one or more of the following 12 high-risk HPV types.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) determines the risk associated with each type of HPV in our assays. It is always up to the provider ordering the test, to determine which OraRisk® HPV testing option they would prefer.  Overall, OraRisk® HPV complete genotyping offers a greater number of screened genotypes, and OraRisk® HPV 16/18/HR is focused solely on HPV types with high risk association. Regardless of which testing option is ordered, once the sample is received in our laboratory, the provider will receive results within approximately 3-5 business days.