Does oral herpes require treatment or will it resolve on its own?

No: There is no real treatment that will cure a herpes infection. Medications exist that will shorten an outbreak or reduce the severity of symptoms. While it doesn't permanently resolve, it will become dormant, sometimes for extended periods. A triggering event (acute stress, sunburn, etc) can cause the virus to become active resulting most commonly in lip sores.

Agree 1st answer,but: You are also contagious when you have an active herptetic lesion. You need treatment for yourself, and for others you may pass it on to! even experts agree that people with "inactive" lesions, can be shedding live virus. Also. Oral hepres can be either type 1, or type 2.