Page 68 - Journal of Laser Dentistry 1

Herpes labialis

Dr.Rodenburg Wenda

Herpes labialis or "orolabial herpes" is an infection of the lip by herpes simplex virus. An outbreak typically causes small blisters or sores on or around the mouth commonly known as cold sores or fever blisters. The sores typically heal within 2–3 weeks, but the herpes virus remains dormant in the facial nerves, following orofacial infection, periodically reactivating (in symptomatic people) to create sores in the same area of the mouth or face at the site of the original infection.

Cold sores affect an estimated 40 million Americans each year with a rate of frequency that varies from rare episodes to 12 or more recurrences per year. Most sufferers experience one to three attacks annually. The frequency and severity of outbreaks generally decreases over time. 30%-60% of children below 10 years of age are infected with HSV-1. They have acquired the virus from family and friends through sharing utensils or toothbrushes and from kissing.

The virus is transmitted from cold sores and also when there are no symptoms, as it can make copies of itself on the skin in the absence of a blister. This phenomenon is called “asymptomatic shedding.” By 50 years of age, 80%-90% of adults harbour HSV-1 because they have caught it from someone close to them.

Definitions

In medical contexts, "labia" is a general term for "lip"; "herpes labialis" does not refer to the labia of the genitals, though the etymology is the same. When the viral infection affects both face and mouth, the broader term "orofacial herpes" is used to describe the condition, whereas the term "herpetic stomatitis" is used to specifically describe infection of the mouth; "stomatitis"