HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury

Angular cheilitis

Ero ā-waha

Angular cheilitis is a common inflammatory skin condition that causes cracks, crusting and redness at the corners of the mouth and around the lips.

It can be short lasting (acute) or long lasting (chronic). It's also called angular stomatitis, cheilosis and perleche.

Causes of angular cheilitis include:

• dribbling of saliva causing irritation of the skin
• dry chapped lips creating cracks that can become infected
• infections such as:
  • Impetigo, cold sores (herpes simplex) and oral thrush (candida), which can start in your mouth and spread to the corners of your mouth.
  • Staphylococcus aureus, which can live harmlessly in your nose but if it spreads to the corners of your mouth it can cause angular cheilitis.

Your chance of getting angular cheilitis may increase if you have:

• poor fitting dentures that do not support the corners of your mouth.
• skin folds causing deep furrows that can cause your upper lip to overhang (these can be common in older people).
• inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• low iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid levels.
• been taking isotretinoin for acne or acitretin for psoriasis.

Symptoms of angular cheilitis

You may notice the following on one corner or (more commonly) both corners of your mouth:

• cracking, crusting or redness, which can be painful
• bleeding (occasionally).

Preventing angular cheilitis

The following steps may you prevent angular cheilitis:

• good oral hygiene and denture hygiene
• well-fitting dentures
• eating well.

Try not to lick the corners of your mouth as this dries them out and makes them crack more.

Diagnosing angular cheilitis

There is no test for angular cheilitis but your doctor may take swabs from the corner of your mouth to check for infections.

Treating angular cheilitis

Angular cheilitis often clears up itself without needing treatment but depending on the cause, treatment can include antibiotic or antifungal medicines. Apply lip balms frequently to prevent cracks forming.

Your doctor may advise you to use moisturisers (emollients), particularly if dribbling saliva is an issue. They may prescribe medicines if you have low iron, vitamin B12 or folate levels.

  HealthInfo recommends the following pages

• DermNet NZ – Angular cheilitis

  Information about angular cheilitis, including what causes it and how it's treated.

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed August 2021.

Sources

Page reference: 131629

Review key: HIANC-131629