What is angular cheilitis and how is it treated?
There is some evidence demonstrating that antifungals effectively treat angular cheilitis. A prospective, double-blind, placebocontrolled study of 8 patients compared the efficacy of nystatin with placebo ointment. These patients were referred to a Department of Oral Diagnosis for sore lips with detected Candida albicans lesions located bilaterally. (4) All of the patients were instructed to use one ointment on the right side and the other on the left side. Contamination was prevented by the use of gloves changed between applications. All 8 patients demonstrated complete healing after 1 to 4 weeks of treatment by nystatin, whereas only 1 patient had complete healing after the placebo, giving a number needed to treat (NNT) of 1.
The Journal of Family Practice =5) { document.write(‘ ‘); } else if ((browVersion>=4)&&(ua.indexOf(“mac”)==-1)) { document.write(‘ ‘); document.write(‘ ‘); document.write(adcode); } else if (browVersion>=3) { document.write(‘ ‘); } } if (browName==’Microsoft Internet Explorer’) { document.write(‘ ‘); } // –> The Journal of Family Practice • May 2005 • Vol. 54, No. 5 What is angular cheilitis and how is it treated? Nadine Skinner, MD; Jessie A. Junker, MD, MBA New Hanover Regional Medical Center Residency in Family Medicine, Wilmington, NC Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS Coastal AHEC Library, Wilmington, NC EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER Cheilitis is a broad term that describes inflammation of the lip surface characterized by dry scaling and fissuring. Specific types are atopic, angular, granulomatous, and actinic. Angular cheilitis is commonly seen in primary care settings, and it specifically refers to cheilitis that radiates from the commissures or corners of the mouth. Other terms synonymous with a
