Herpesvirus infections

There are presently seven known herpes viruses that infect humans. Those viruses are important in the fields of oral medicine and dentistry because they cause oral lesions, infect saliva, and cause serious and potentially life-threatening infections in patients whose immune systems are compromised by cancer chemotherapy, immunosuppressive drugs, or HIV infection. This article reviews the basic virology and clinical manifestations of the herpes viruses while highlighting the clinical aspects of herpes-related diseases important to dentistry.