Currently there is no treatment for the oral HPV infection. However, most people who get an infection usually clear the virus on their own within a year or two of getting the infection with no treatment and no interventions.
Most oral HPV infections go away on their own without treatment within 2 years and do not cause any health problems.
HPV can infect the mouth and throat and cause cancers of the oropharynx (back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils). This is called oropharyngeal cancer. HPV is thought to cause 70% of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States.
It's likely. In fact, most oral HPV infections clear up on their own without treatment in about two years. But, for some people, the virus stays in their system for decades. In these cases, oral HPV could go on to cause more serious health issues, including oropharyngeal cancer.
While sexual intercourse is the primary means of transmission, genital-to-genital interactions, oral-to-genital interactions, or deep (French) kissing can also spread the virus.
HPV is spread through oral sex. If your partner is infected with genital HPV and you perform oral sex, you risk getting HPV. Having oral sex with many partners increases your risk for oral HPV.
Because HPV is passed through sexual contact, sharing sex toys and skin-to-skin contact, so it can be passed through oral sex. The strains of HPV found in the mouth are almost exclusively transmitted through sexual contact, so oral sex is likely to be the cause.
Most people who become infected with HPV do not know they have it. Usually, the body's immune system gets rid of the HPV infection naturally within two years.
An oral HPV infection has no symptoms and cannot be detected by a test. If you have symptoms that concern you, it does not mean you have cancer, but you should see your health care provider to get it checked. You may undergo a physical exam. Your provider may examine your mouth area.
While HPV does cause cervical cancer, the risk of developing cervical cancer from the virus is still quite low. For 90 percent of women with HPV, the condition will clear up on its own within two years.
Although HPV can increase the risk of developing some types of cancer, most people who have HPV do NOT develop cancer.
There is no FDA-approved test to diagnose HPV in the mouth or throat. Medical and dental organizations do not recommend screening for oral HPV. More research is needed to find out if screening for oropharyngeal cancers will have health benefits.
HPV can clear up naturally – as there is no cure for the underlying HPV infection, the only way to get rid of HPV is to wait for the immune system to clear the virus naturally.
Yes. Although most infections occur following intercourse, HPV may also be passed on during oral sex and genital-to-genital contact. Even more rarely, a mom can transmit the virus to her baby during birth.
HPV cannot be treated. Doctors can remove visible genital lesions and warts caused by HPV, but there is no cure for the virus. Unlike other sexually transmitted infections, HPV is caused by a virus and viruses cannot be cured with antibiotics.
Often there is no way to tell that you are infected with HPV. Infection may not cause any symptoms at all, or may cause simple mouth sores that resemble other forms of infection.
The type of HPV called HPV 16 causes most oral cancers related to HPV. Oral cancers tend to cause obvious symptoms, especially as they progress. Signs and symptoms of oral cancer include: a sore or painful bump that does not go away within 3 weeks.
In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer.
If you still have HPV after 3 years, you may need to have a colposcopy. You'll be asked to have a colposcopy. Information: HPV is a common virus and most people will get it at some point.
HPV spreads through skin-to-skin contact during vaginal, anal, or oral sex, as well as through the touching of genitals. So, if your sexual partner has HPV, there's a good chance you could catch it yourself. That doesn't mean you need to be celibate for the rest of your life, though.
A person can continue to date if they have HPV. If people know they have HPV, they may want to date a person for a while before engaging in sexual activity. This can give people the chance to get to know one another better before discussing HPV.
While HPV doesn't come back after clearing completely, it's difficult to know if an infection has actually been resolved or is simply dormant. Additionally, while you're unlikely to be reinfected with the exact same type of HPV, you can be infected with another strain.
Treatment options
Cryotherapy: Involves extremely cold substances, such as liquid nitrogen, to freeze and kill warts. Electrosurgery: Uses a high-frequency electric current to burn off any warts. Surgical removal: In some cases, healthcare providers may surgically remove warts from the body.