Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medicine, and Pathology
Review ArticleAn update about cheilitis
Introduction
Lip vermilion is a transition zone between the skin and the oral mucosa that exhibits a thin layer of epithelium and has no cutaneous attachments (sweat and sebaceous glands, and hair follicles) and is therefore more susceptible to invasion of pathogens and irritation by climatic, chemical, physical and mechanical factors [1]. The lesions that affect the lips can be manifestations of systemic diseases, local expression of dermatological diseases or even a localized condition of the lips [2].
Cheilitis is the acute or chronic inflammatory state of the lips that involves the perioral region, lip vermilion and/or labial mucosa, with the vermilion being the most affected area. Cheilitis are classified into different types and amongst the most commonly reported in the literature there are: actinic, desquamative/factitious, glandular, contact/eczematous, angular, granulomatous, plasma cell, associated or secondary to skin or systemic diseases, drug-induced or drug reaction cheilitis [[2], [3], [4], [5], [6]]. The objective of this study is to present a brief review of the literature on the different types of cheilitis and to discuss current aspects regarding the diagnosis and treatment of these lesions.
Section snippets
Methods
We conducted a narrative literature review of published researches and case reports on all types of cheilitis. We searched and identified articles of the following bibliographic databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Scielo. The search included all articles published up to November 2019.
Actinic cheilitis
Actinic cheilitis (AC) is an inflammatory process of the lips that occurs due to chronic exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). It is commonly diagnosed in white males, over 40-years-old, who engage in activities related to chronic and excessive sun exposure [5,[7], [8], [9], [10]].
AC can be classified as acute or chronic. The acute phase occurs when there is an excessive exposure to the sun in a short period of time and is clinically characterized by discrete lip volume increase and
Conclusion
Diverse inflammatory lesions can affect the lips, therefore the diagnosis of these conditions should begin with a complete clinical examination. The anamnesis should include the duration of the lesion, habits such as smoking, onicophagy and history of exposure to UVR, contact to irritating factors, systemic diseases and medication administration. The lesions that affect the lips may represent a localized condition or a local manifestation of systemic diseases. Dental surgeons and physicians
Sources of funding
Not applicable.
Disclaimers
Not applicable
Ethical approval
The authors wish to declare that all experiments on human subjects were conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the relevant local ethics committees and patient consent was obtained.
Authorship
All authors have made substantial contributions to all of the following: (AKGG, HION, ILC, TS) the conception and design of the study, acquisition of data, and analysis and interpretation of data, (PTO, AMC) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, and (EJDS) final approval of the version to be submitted.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors report no declarations of interest.
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