The mucosa of the oral cavity is exposed to a large number of different microorganisms such as archaea, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. Among those, viruses cause specific infections, which can easily be transmitted from one person to another. The infectious route may not only include patients and their relatives but also the dental professional team. Thus, a wide knowledge regarding specific viral infections is crucial for the daily routine. Signs and symptoms of oral viral infections can be completely absent or develop into a pronounced clinical picture, so that early detection and information determine the further course of the infection and its influence on other inflammatory diseases, such as periodontitis, as well as the safety of family members and the social environment. As the clinical manifestation of viral infections may be highly variable leading to heterogenous mucosal lesions it is, in most cases, mandatory to differentiate them by specific microbiological tests in addition to clinical examination procedures. This article will give an overview of the role of viruses infecting the oral mucosa, and in addition, describe their clinical manifestation and management.

中文翻译：

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病毒在口腔粘膜病变中的作用


口腔粘膜暴露于大量不同的微生物，例如古细菌、细菌、真菌、寄生虫和病毒。其中，病毒会引起特定的感染，这些感染很容易从一个人传播到另一个人。感染途径可能不单包括病人及其亲属，还包括牙科专业团队。因此，对特定病毒感染的广泛了解对于日常生活至关重要。口腔病毒感染的体征和症状可能完全不存在或发展成明显的临床表现，因此早期检测和信息决定了感染的进一步过程及其对其他炎症性疾病（如牙周炎）的影响，以及家庭成员的安全和社会环境。由于病毒感染的临床表现可能高度可变，导致异质性粘膜病变，因此在大多数情况下，除了临床检查程序外，还必须通过特定的微生物学测试来区分它们。本文将概述病毒感染口腔粘膜的作用，并介绍其临床表现和管理。