An update about cheilitis

Abstract Objective To present a brief review of the literature on the different types of cheilitis, focusing on the clinical, histopathological and treatment characteristics. Methods Electronic databases were searched for studies assessing published researches and case reports on all types of cheilitis. Results Cheilitis is the term that refers to the inflammatory state of the lips, which may involve the perioral region, lip vermilion and/or labial mucosa, with lip vermilion being the most affected area. There are different types of cheilitis 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. Conclusions The diagnosis of inflammatory conditions of the lips requires a complete clinical examination and, when necessary, complementary tests in order to achieve a correct diagnosis and satisfactory treatment for the different conditions. Dental surgeons and physicians must know the importance of the correct diagnosis to indicate the best therapy for each type of cheilitis, aiming patients’ well-being and better prognosis.