The prevalence of six genital genotypes of HPV was assessed in the clinically normal oral mucosa of an adult Caucasian population, and three methods of sample collection compared. HPV DNA was detected in the mouth of 60% of 60 subjects. HPV 16 was the most prevalent genotype, and positive samples were found most frequently in men over 50. A 3% sucrose mouthwash produced more positive results (51%) than mucosal scrapes of three separate sites (45%) or buccal mucosal biopsies (12%). There was no association of a positive result for HPV DNA with any particular mucosal site. A mouthwash was the preferred single screening method for epidemiologic studies of HPV DNA in the mouth, but the greatest yield of positive samples was obtained if multiple sampling techniques were employed.