Angular cheilitis (
AC), also known as
rhagades,
perlèche,
cheilosis,
angular cheilosis,
commissural cheilitis, or
angular stomatitis, is
inflammation of one, or more commonly both, of the corners of the mouth. It is a type of
cheilitis (inflammation of the lips) and is the second most common type of lip infection. Angular cheilitis often represents an opportunistic infection of fungi and/or bacteria, with multiple local and systemic predisposing factors being involved in the initiation and persistence of the lesion. Such factors include nutritional deficiencies, overclosure of the mouth, dry mouth, a lip-licking habit, drooling, immunosuppression, and others, such as the wearing of poor fitted
dentures. Treatment for angular cheilitis varies based on the exact causes of the condition in each case, but often an antifungal cream is used among other measures. It is a fairly common problem, and is more prevalent in people without any natural teeth who wear dentures, and in elderly people, although it may also occur in children.