What is herpetic stomatitis?

  Herpes stomatitis is an infectious disease of the oral mucosa caused by herpes simplex virus infection.  It occurs most often in children under 6 years of age, especially more frequently from 6 months to 2 years of age.  It rarely develops before 6 months of age because the newborn has antibodies against herpes simplex virus from the mother. After the herpes simplex virus enters the body, the incubation period is about one week, after which a fever of about 38-39°C appears, with some high fevers reaching about 40°C. The child has a headache and sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, refusal to eat, salivation, crying, and irritability, etc. This is the prodromal period. After 2 to 3 days of prodromal period, the oral mucosa and gums are congested and edematous, easily bleeding when touched, with single or clusters of small round or oval pinhead-sized blisters on the inner lips, tongue, cheeks or palate area, easily breaking down to form a single ulcer or fusing into a vesicular surface of varying sizes, covered with yellowish-white pseudomembranes, surrounded by congestion and redness, with severe spontaneous pain, and great difficulty in eating and swallowing. Some patients have herpes complicating the perioral skin and nasal flanks, which forms a yellowish-brown scab after rupture. Later, the vesicular surface gradually shrinks and heals, and the whole course of the disease heals in about 7 to 14 days. If there is secondary bacterial infection, the course of the disease can be prolonged.  Systemic treatment should be antiviral treatment under the guidance of the doctor. Oral local treatment is mainly symptomatic, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drugs with gargling and coating. At the same time, an easily digestible soft food should be given.