ABSTRACT
Department of Pediatrics, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
INTRODUCTION
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection may cause a wide spectrum of illness in children and adults. Gingivostomatitis is the most common specific clinical manifestation of primary HSV infection in childhood. The peak incidence appears in the 1-to 3-years age group. HSV type 1 (HSV-1) is almost always the cause. The disease is a self-limiting but painful infection of the oral mucosa causing extreme discomfort that lasts for about two weeks. Herpetic gingivostomatitis has also been described in adults, with similar clinical manifestations (1,2).
