If you want to know more about FAQ on angular chelitis, here are a few:
What is angular chelitis?
Angular chelitis is the inflammation of one or both corners of the mouth. It is also known as inflammation of the lips and is caused by a fungi or yeast and/or bacteria.
What causes angular chelitis?
Angular chelitis may be a result of a variety of factors such as over closure of the mouth, dry mouth, nutritional deficiencies or lack in vitamin B and iron, drooling, lip licking habit, immunosuppressant.
What are the signs and symptoms of angular chelitis?
Angular chelitis is manifested with the presence of an inflammatory lesion particularly in the corner of the mouth and sometimes concentrated to the mucosa of the lips. The lesion may also reach the vermilion border which is the edge where the lips lining become part of the facial skin.
Angular chelitis starts with a gray white thickening and an adjacent redness. There may also be a triangular portion of erythema, swelling and maceration of either mouth corner. The lip mucoso may also be fissure or cracked, ulcerated and crusted. Linear fissures may also develop in the adjacent facial skin.
What are the kinds of angular chelitis?
Angular chelitis is a type of stomatitis and may also be classified as oral candidiasis when candida species is involved. Angular chelitis can also be classified as acute or chronic and refractory.
Why does vitamin B an iron deficiency cause angular chelitis?
A deficiency in iron causes an immunocompromise or the reduced efficiency of the immune system which may result in an infection of Candida. Vitamin B deficiency are mostly suffered by people living in Third World countries and is a nutritional disorder caused by malnutrition by which people becomes susceptible to different kinds of infection including angular chelitis.
How can chronic lip licking and saliva cause angular chelitis?
Habits that can keep the mouth moist like constant lip licking, hyper-salivation, and drooling to name a few all of which may cause superficial Candida infection. Saliva contains digestive enzymes that may result in a digestive action on tissues during continued contact.
Pooling of saliva in certain areas or skin creases of the mouth may also be a result of reduced lower face height as caused by tooth loss, wearing of worn down dentures and old age. The constant wetting of an area in the mouth may result to tissue maceration and the generation of yeast infection.
How can angular chelitis be treated?
Treatment for angular chelitis differs based on the cause of the infection but doctors usually prescribe an anti-fungal cream to reduce inflammation. People with denture related stomatitis are advised not to use their dentures at night, observe denture hygiene and make sure that dentures have a right fit.
When angular chelitis is caused by bacteria, then doctor can prescribe anti-fungal cream with antibacterial action. If an individual does not respond to such treatment, then a medical expert may consider other underlying causes such as anemia, nutritional deficiency and even HIV infection.