What is the recommended approach if a patient presents with a herpetic lesion prior to dental treatment?

What is the recommended approach if a patient presents with a herpetic lesion prior to dental treatment?

• A. Proceed with treatment and manage symptoms afterward.
• B. Ignore lesion and continue.
• C. Dismiss treatment until the lesion has completely healed.
• D. Treat the lesion immediately before proceeding.

Answer: (C)

Active herpetic lesions indicate that the virus is being shed and the mucosa is highly contagious. In dental care, performing treatment during an active outbreak risks spreading HSV to the clinician, staff, and other patients through saliva and contact with the oral tissues, and it can also irritate the lesion and worsen pain or delay healing. Because of these infection-control concerns and the potential for patient discomfort, the safer, standard approach is to postpone elective dental treatment until the lesion has completely healed and crusting has resolved. If urgent care is unavoidable, it should be carried out with heightened precautions and, when appropriate, antiviral therapy may be considered to manage the outbreak, but the principle remains: defer routine treatment until healing is complete.

Active herpetic lesions indicate that the virus is being shed and the mucosa is highly contagious. In dental care, performing treatment during an active outbreak risks spreading HSV to the clinician, staff, and other patients through saliva and contact with the oral tissues, and it can also irritate the lesion and worsen pain or delay healing. Because of these infection-control concerns and the potential for patient discomfort, the safer, standard approach is to postpone elective dental treatment until the lesion has completely healed and crusting has resolved. If urgent care is unavoidable, it should be carried out with heightened precautions and, when appropriate, antiviral therapy may be considered to manage the outbreak, but the principle remains: defer routine treatment until healing is complete.