- Symptoms of HPV in the mouth
- What to do in case of suspicion
- Treatment to cure HPV in the mouth
- How HPV transmission happens
HPV in the mouth occurs due to contamination of the oral mucosa with the virus, through direct contact with infected lesions during oral sex, for example. HPV lesions in the mouth are more frequent on the lateral edge of the tongue, lips and roof of the mouth, but any area of the oral surface can be affected.
HPV in the mouth can increase the risk of developing oral cancer and, therefore, as soon as it is diagnosed, treatment should begin with ointments, other solutions, laser or surgery. Generally, HPV in the mouth is curable, but its treatment must be done rigorously and for about 2 years.
In some cases, HPV can also cause an infection called Heck's disease, which, although uncommon, consists of the benign development of the oral mucosa itself, generating the appearance of small balls inside the mouth. Learn more about this disease, how to identify it and its treatment.
Symptoms of HPV in the mouth
Symptoms of HPV in the mouth include the appearance of small lesions, similar to whitish warts, which can join and form plaques. These small wounds may be white, light red or have the same color as the skin. Sometimes the lesions can be similar to a cold sore.
The HPV warts in the mouth that are more common on the lip are manifested by lesions that have a narrower base, being long, firm and light in color, while the acuminate condyloma, which is more common through oral sex, manifests itself through oral sex. of a single wound a little more horizontal, similar to cauliflower.
However, an individual can contain the HPV virus in the mouth and show no symptoms because the lesions are not always seen with the 'naked eye', requiring at least a medical magnifying glass to be detected.
The incubation period for the HPV virus in the mouth can vary from 4 weeks to 1 year.
What to do in case of suspicion
Sometimes it is the dentist who observes any injury that may be HPV, but the person himself may suspect that he has HPV in his mouth when observing his symptoms. In case of suspicion, you should go to the doctor, and the infectious disease specialist is the best person to observe the lesions, although the general practitioner, gynecologist or urologist is also familiar with HPV.
The doctor can scrape the lesions and ask for a biopsy to identify if it really is HPV and what type it is, in order to indicate the most appropriate treatment for each case.
Treatment to cure HPV in the mouth
The treatment for HPV in the mouth depends on the type of injury that the individual has and can vary through the use of laser, surgery or medications such as 70 or 90% trichloric acid or alpha interferon, twice a week, for about 3 months..
There are 24 types of HPV that can affect the mouth region, not all of which are related to the appearance of cancer. The types that have a higher risk of malignancy are: HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35 and 55; medium risk: 45 and 52, and low risk: 6, 11, 13 and 32.
After the treatment indicated by the doctor, it is important to perform other tests to confirm the elimination of the lesions, however, it is very difficult to eliminate the HPV virus from the body and therefore, it cannot always be said that HPV is curable, because the virus it may return to manifest after some time.
How HPV transmission happens
An individual who has HPV in his mouth can pass the virus on to others through kissing on the mouth and intimate oral contact, whenever he has mouth sores that can be seen with the naked eye or not. However, after clinical treatment and proof that there is no longer any injury in the region, this risk is less.
The causes of HPV in the mouth may be related to skin-to-skin contact during oral sex with an infected partner, when the mother passes on to the child through normal delivery.
Watch the following video and better understand where warts can appear and what are the ways of treating this disease:
