Inflammation At the Corners Of Your Lips: Angular Chelitis/Angular Stomatitis

By Rita D. Wright, DMD

Wright Smile Center of Woodbridge

. https://www.wrightsmilecenter.com/

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Inflammation At the Corners Of Your Lips: Angular Chelitis/Angular Stomatitis

Do you get inflammation at the corners of your lips?  This could be angular chelitis, or stomatitis, which is common in adults, especially older adults. Patients and their families should have a better understanding of this problem in order to seek and receive the right diagnosis and treatment.

It is a fairly common problem in patients who wear dentures or have no teeth.  Some denture wearers present dry mouth (xerostomia), caused by ill-fitting dentures.  It may also be caused by tobacco use.

Other contributing factors include the following deficiencies:  iron, vitamins (especially B vitamins), malabsorption (as in Crohn’s disease), and zinc.  Poor immune response is also a factor in patients with Down’s syndrome, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and cancer, just to name a few.  Some disorders cause enlargement of the lips (in Down’s syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and orofacial granulomatosis).  This enlargement causes excess saliva at the corners of the lips.

The cause of angular stomatitis is usually the presence of bacterial infections Candida albicans, Staphyloccus aureus or Streptococci.  These infective agents are found in saliva in over 50 percent of all cases.  On rare occasions, angular chelitis will result from an allergy to the denture resin base (the pink gum area).

Patients usually have red, sore, cracked lips, mostly in the corners of the mouth.  Patients can also have tongue redness due to fungal growth.  Patients may present a purple tongue without papillae in cases of vitamin B deficiency.  In vitamin C deficient cases, patients have a red depapillated tongue.  Symmetrical folding is also noted at the corners of the mouth in this group.

Fortunately, for almost all patients, angular chelitis/stomatitis can be successfully treated and managed. One first step for smokers is to reduce tobacco use.

For denture wearers, it can be improved with new dentures to restore your facial profile, function, and nutrition.  Anti-fungal rinses, topical creams or ointments are also beneficial to soothe cracked, sore lips and reduce tongue inflammation.  Fortunately, surgery is rarely necessary.