Prevalence and Epidemiological Characteristics of Recurrent Herpes Labialis among Dental Students at the University of Benghazi

Abstract

Recurrent herpes labialis (RHL) is an HSV-1 infection with clinical and psychosocial manifestations. Dental students are predisposed through patient contact and academic stress; however, data on Libyan cohorts are scarce. This study assessed the prevalence, epidemiology, and quality-of-life impact of RHL in dental students at the University of Benghazi. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among first- to fourth-year and internship students at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Benghazi. A validated, structured, self-administered online questionnaire was distributed electronically. Data were analysed in SPSS v26 using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test (p < 0.05). Of 191 respondents (84.3% females; median age 25 years), 69 (36.1%) reported a history of RHL. Positive family history was the only variable significantly associated with RHL (55.3% vs 26.9%; p = 0.002); gender, academic year, smoking, and age were not significant (all p > 0.05). The majority of affected students reported a single episode per year (56.7%), mild severity (60.3%), and resolution within one week (52.9%), with most lesions on the lateral lip. The main triggers were fever/common cold (62.3%) and stress (44.9%). Only 15.2% consulted a physician, and 60.3% received no treatment during episodes despite their health-professional training. The overall quality-of-life impact was modest and did not differ significantly by RHL status (p = 0.435). However, among affected students, symptom severity was significantly associated with quality-of-life impairment (p = 0.041). To our knowledge, this is the first epidemiological study of RHL among Libyan dental students.