Highlights ■ Prevalence of HPV16 is extremely low in the tonsil of healthy Brazilian population. ■ The prevalence of HPV16 in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma was 10% in Brazilian samples. ■ The rate of HPV16 tonsillar infection should be lower than that reported previously in Brazil. ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 infection in the tonsils of patients without cancer and to analyze the associated risk factors in a low-risk population in […]