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

ABSTRACT 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