Herpes – Aphtha lesions and their treatments

Herpes – Aphtha lesions and their treatments

What is aphtha?

Aphtha is painful ulcerous lesions surrounded by pale yellow-red halo which occur in the mouth commonly in cheek and lip mucosa, sometimes on the tongue, on the soft palate, in the pharynx, gingiva etc. At least %18-20 of society is dealing with this problem. It is more common in ladies. Although aphtha usually develop solely, there may be multiple aphtha in several sites. Many researches tried to show the cause of aphtha development. However, although there were many factors its cause of development could not be found. Therefore, it is possible to talk about factors that speed up aphtha formation and slow down its healing. Causes of aphtha formation: Stress: Today, stress which is believed to be the underlying cause of migraine, high blood pressure and gastritis is also considered to be one of the factors of aphtha formation. Premenstrual distress is also another factor. Foods: citrus fruits, circus, pickles, potato chips, salty and hot snacks etc. are among the factors that may fasten up aphtha formation. Apart from that, buckwheat, rye, barley, chocolate, nuts, barnacles, soy, tomato, apple, fig, cheese etc. which may be allergen to some individuals increase aphtha formation. Trauma: biting cheek, lip and tongue, damage from tough foods and tough tooth brushing, wounds of improper prostheses provide a basis for aphtha. Tooth pastes. Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) which is put inside the tooth pastes in order to increase their cleaning features, is an irritating chemical. SLS therefore affects aphtha formation directly. Tooth pastes with less SLS containment are produced today especially for those with aphtha problem (Tom’s of Maine Natural Toothpaste , Oral-B Sensitive Fluoride Toothpaste.). Systemic Diseases: Behçet’s Disease: it is a disease including genital ulcer, conjunctivitis, retinitis, leukocytosis, etc along with repetitive aphtha formation. Repetitive aphtha may occur in many malign and autoimmune diseases. Other causes: Vitamin B12 and iron deficiency, smoking, chewing tobacco etc are known to support aphtha formation. Treatment: Aphtha gets better spontaneously in 7-10 days even when they are not treated. It is possible for those who have aphtha problem to have more comfortable periods when some of the below are applied. What is herpes? Herpes lesions occur by activation of the virus, herpes simplex. This virus awaits quietly in patients who have the virus and activate in cases of trauma, fever, stress hormonal changes sunlight etc. Repetitive lesions are leaned towards developing in the same site. Hot acidic and irritating foods should be avoided. %2 hydrogen peroxide solution application to aphtha site may help. A thin crème made of water and carbonade may be applied on. Half tea spoon of salt addition to half glass of water may provide a good gargle to use three times a day. Xylocaione solution administration or anesthetic crèmes of the mouth can be used before eating. Intra oral crèmes such as orabase, gly-oxide, cankaid, ambesol may be used on the aphtha. Sucralfate tablet may be adissolved in warm water and the water could be used as gargle. Dissolving tetracyclin tablet in the water and gargling it may prevent the aphtha from progressing and reduce pain when administered in early phases. Also, topical steroids may prevent progress and reduce the pain. Chlorhexadine gargles fasten healing.  12,500 units of nystatine, 1,25 mg diphenhydramine and 0,25 mg/m hydrocortisone mixture in tetracyclin syrup may be used as “shotgun” solution.