Abstract
Although we often encounter patients presenting with angular cheilitis in routine clinic practice, such patients seldom mention this as a chief complaint. We investigated what doctors should notice in such patients and examine them from a clinical and microbiological study. The chief complaints and the identified microbes associated with angular cheilitis were found to differ by age. In cases under 29 years of age, angular cheilitis was frequently associated with either oral or pharyngeal disease, and the identified microbes were often the same as ones as identified for the chief disease. In cases more than 30 years of age it was often found in patients with either dry mouth or an abnormal sensation of mouth and/or pharynx which is probably caused by stress. Microbiological studies revealed Candida to be detected in 35.1% and MRSA in 19.3% of the cases who were more than 60 years of age. Angular cheilitis tends to be caused by a Vitamin B2 or B6 deficiency. While, in addition, these deficiencies can also be caused by gastrointestinal lesions, the administration of antibiotics, stress, liver lesions, and so on. We therefore consider it important for physicians to accurately identify angular cheilitis in order to understand the background of the patients.
