Incidence of Angular Cheilitis among Patients Visiting Private Dental Hospital in Chennai: An Institutional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Angular cheilitis is defined as the localised inflammation of the lip commissure. The angles of the mouth are more prone to inflammation as they serve as the points of interface between the squamous epithelium and oral mucosa. It is a multifactorial disease and occurs due to varied etiology. It can be due to microbial infections, poor dentures, or can be due to smoking and pan chewing habits, Nutritional deficiency or Generalised Immunosuppression. Most of the lesions respond well to the topical antifungal medications and steroids.
 Aim: The current study aims to assess the Incidence of Angular cheilitis among patients visiting the Out patient department of a private dental hospital setting
 Materials and Methodology: The study was performed in the Out patient department of saveetha dental college, under a university setting. The study was a retrospective study and the data required were procured by reviewing patient records dating between June 2019 and March 2021 and the sample size was n =125. The data thus collected were sorted and tabulated in the excel sheet. The sorted data were then entered in the IBM SPSS software and descriptive analysis was performed. The results were interpreted in the form of pictorial graphs.
 Results: n = 125 patient records who had been diagnosed with Angular cheilitis had been retrieved. Our results show that the majority of them i.e 52% of the people were Females and 48% of them were Males.Our results also show that the people of age group 41 to 50 were the most affected with 31.20% and people with 20 to 30 years of age group were the least affected with 12.80%.
 Conclusion: Within the limitations of the study, it can be concluded that Angular cheilitis has got a predominant Female predilection and more commonly affects people of 41 to 50 years of age.
 There is also a positive correlation between the Gender of the population and smoking and pan chewing habits; and Gender of the population and Iron deficiency anemia induced Angular cheilitis.