Abstract: Objective: This study investigates the significance of human papilloma virus (HPV) subtype detection in opportunistic screening for cervical cancer in Uygur and Han women. Methods: Flow-through hybridization gene chip and thin-prep cytology test were used to detect HPV in cervical cell samples from 1140 females. A total of 428 patients had undergone cervical biopsies through colposcopy. The diagnostic results of the HPV subtype test for cervical lesions were evaluated on the basis of histology. Results: Total HPV infection rate for the 1140 cervical samples was 30.3%. The most common HPV subtypes were HPV16, HPV58, HPV52, HPV18, and HPV45. HPV52 infection rate was higher in Han women than in Uygur women, with statistically significant differences between the two (χ2=8.737, P=0.003). Among these cervical samples, the single HPV infection rate was 22.4% (255/1140), whereas the multiple HPV infection rate was 6.1% (69/1140). The sensitivity and specificity of the HPV subtype test for cervical lesions were 86.4% and 24.5%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 58.5% and 59.3%. Conclusion: HPV infection subtypes in Ugyur and Han women have unique characteristics. Subtype detection is important in opportunistic screening for cervical cancer.