Sections View Full Chapter Figures Tables Videos Annotate Full Chapter Figures Tables Videos Supplementary Content + Download Section PDF Listen ++ For further information, see CMDT Part 8-19: Intraoral Ulcerative Lesions + Key Features Download Section PDF Listen +++ ++ Common, mild, and short-lived and requires no intervention in most adults In immunocompromised persons, however, reactivation of herpes simplex virus infection is frequent and may be severe + Clinical Findings Download Section PDF Listen +++ ++ Initial symptom is burning, followed by typical small vesicles that rupture and form scabs Differential diagnosis Aphthous stomatitis Erythema multiforme Syphilitic chancre Carcinoma + Diagnosis Download Section PDF Listen +++ ++ Lesions Most commonly found on the attached gingiva and mucocutaneous junction of the lip Can also form on the tongue, buccal mucosa, and soft palate + Treatment Download Section PDF Listen +++ ++ Acyclovir (200–800 mg orally five times daily for 7–10 days) or valacyclovir (1000 mg orally twice daily for 7–10 days) May shorten the course May reduce postherpetic pain May only be effective when started within 24–48 hours of the onset of initial symptoms (pain, itching, burning) Not effective once vesicles have erupted