What Does HPV on Your Tongue Look Like? (2025)

Human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States, sometimes affects the tongue, mouth, and/or throat. This is known as oral HPV.

In most cases, oral human papillomavirus doesn’t cause symptoms, and people don’t notice that they have it. Sometimes, people with an oral HPV infection develop warts or lesions (sores) on their tongue.

These growths, which tend to appear on the back or sides of the tongue and/or the surrounding mucous membranes of the mouth, may be either flat or raised and are usually white or flesh-colored. They’re typically small, hard, and painless.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 3.6% of women and 10% of men have oral HPV. In very rare cases, oral HPV causes oropharyngeal cancer—a kind of head and neck cancer that affects the middle part of the throat, known as the oropharynx.

Confirming HPV From Tongue Symptoms

To diagnose you with oral HPV, your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms and medical history. They may perform a physical examination of your tongue, mouth, throat, and/or nose by inserting a flexible, thin tube attached to a tiny camera into the affected area.

A biopsy (sample taken from the lesion and analyzed in the lab) may confirm the diagnosis, although it’s typically not performed for oral HPV alone.

If your healthcare provider suspects that you may have oropharyngeal (tonsil) cancer caused by oral HPV, additional imaging and other tests, such as a neurological exam, will be performed. Symptoms of oropharyngeal cancer include:

• Numbness or pain in the lips, mouth, and/or throat
• Problems with swallowing, opening or closing your mouth, chewing, or speaking
• Sore throat
• Unexplained weight loss
• A feeling of fullness or a lump in the throat
• Earaches
• Vocal changes
• White patches, crusty areas, and/or sores on the tongue, lips, or throat
• Bleeding when coughing
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Jaw pain

Transmission and Contagiousness

Like other forms of HPV, oral HPV is transmitted through sexual activity. However, oral human papillomavirus infections develop after making out or oral sex. It’s unclear as to whether the HPV vaccine prevents oral HPV.

Tobacco and alcohol use and having a higher number of sexual partners increase your chance of getting oral HPV. Being male or immunocompromised also puts you at a higher risk of developing the condition.

Treatment to Clear Tongue Warts

In many cases, oral HPV is asymptomatic (doesn't show symptoms) and doesn't require treatment. Currently, the available treatment options for tongue warts caused by oral HPV include:

• Cryotherapy, which involves freezing the warts off
• Laser therapy
• Surgery or electrosurgery (removal using an electrical current)
• Trichloroacetic acid (TCA)

Your healthcare provider, such as a dentist, can recommend the best treatment method for you.

How Long Do Symptoms Last?

If you do have symptoms from oral HPV (such as tongue warts), they often clear up on their own. For most people, oral HPV symptoms resolve within two years or less. If they persist for more than two years, you have a higher (although still very rare) risk of developing complications, such as head and neck cancer.

Likelihood of Cancer Diagnosis

The CDC reports that oral HPV causes up to 70% of oropharyngeal cancer cases in the U.S.

However, only certain high-risk strains of oral HPV can cause head and neck cancer. According to the American Dental Association, for example, approximately 7% of American adults have oral HPV. However, only 1% are infected with a strain of HPV that can cause oropharyngeal cancer—and even within this group, not everyone will develop cancer.

How to Discuss HPV With Partners

If you have oral HPV, it’s a good idea to tell your current and potential sexual partner(s) so they can stay informed and take steps to protect their sexual health. Here are a few tips to consider:

• Choose a place where you feel safe and comfortable to talk, and ensure you have plenty of time to do so. Don’t start a conversation about HPV (or any STI) when one of you is stressed, uncomfortable, or pressed for time.
• Before having the conversation, do some research and ask your healthcare provider any lingering questions beforehand so you’re well-prepared.
• Start an open dialogue about how you and your partner(s) can protect yourselves and any other partners you may have (i.e., by steering clear of oral sex for a time or by having safer sex).
• Encourage your partner(s) to speak to their healthcare provider about their chances of having or getting HPV.

When Can You Have Sex Again?

In many cases, you won’t know if you have a human papillomavirus infection or not. Still, if you or your partner has warts on your tongue due to oral HPV, it may be a good idea to abstain from tongue kissing and oral sex until the warts clear up. Using dental dams or condoms during oral sex can also reduce your likelihood of transmission.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any questions about safer sex or preventing HPV transmission.

Summary

Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that are transmitted through sexual activity involving the mouth, such as oral sex.

Often asymptomatic, oral HPV sometimes causes flat or raised growths (such as bumps or warts) to develop on the tongue. Using protection while having oral sex may help to prevent oral HPV transmission, but it’s not foolproof.

Very rarely, oral HPV can lead to a certain type of head and neck cancer known as oropharyngeal cancer.Reach out to a healthcare provider if you’re concerned that you may have or develop oral HPV.