Treatment of Herpes Labialis: Comparison of Two OTC Drugs and Untreated Controls

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Rapid resolution of active herpes labialis lesions is of great benefit to the patient not only in terms of controlling pain and disfigurement, but in disruption of needed dental treatment. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Using three groups, this retrospective study investigated the time required to complete healing and the loss of discomfort. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Based on 180 completed surveys, responses were divided into three groups: One group used Abreva (GlaxoSmithKline, Parsippany, NJ, USA). The second used Viroxyn (Quadex Pharmaceuticals, West Jordan, UT, USA). The third group, the Control group, consisted of untreated lesions. All three groups were asked about past experiences with lesions treated using Abreva and/or Viroxyn, and lesions which were left untreated. In addition, 58 participants who had used Viroxyn only responded. Participants were provided standardized responses from which to choose. RESULTS: For both the time to healing and time to loss of discomfort, participants in both the Abreva and Viroxyn groups experienced significant improvements. Relative to the Abreva, Viroxyn provided significant improvement in both outcomes (all t-tests; all p < 0.001). Relative to the Control group, Viroxyn and Abreva offered an 8.0 and 4.0 day reduction in time to healing, respectively. Loss of discomfort occurred within 3.0 days and 1 hour for Abreva and Viroxyn, respectively. CONCLUSION: Relative to the untreated controls, both Abreva and Viroxyn offered a significant reduction in both the time to healing and time to loss of discomfort. Furthermore, Viroxyn offered a significant reduction relative to Abreva. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Providing care to patients with active lesions greatly increases the risk of spread of infection from one site to another and to members of the dental team. Precautions include the use of special personal protective equipment and limiting treatment during active outbreaks to urgent care only. Accordingly, any treatment that shortens healing time for active lesions would contribute significantly to the health and well-being of the patient and the dental team. (J Esthet Restor Dent 24:103–111, 2012)