ACTINIC CHEILIITIS: CLINICAL ANALYSIS INDEX
Actinic Cheiliitis, Solar Cheilosis, lip and carcinogenesis
Introduction: Actinic cheilitis (AC) is an inflammatory condition of the lips caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation and is considered an Oral polenlially malignanl disorders (OPMDs) by the World Health Organization (WHO). The present study aims to develop an Actinic Cheilitis clinical Index (ACCI) that can assist the dentist in the choice of treatment and the area to be biopsied when indicated. Methodology: Based on a review of the literature, a questionnaire will be prepared to be sent to 50 dental surgeons with experience in the care of patients with AC, aiming at listing the main clinical features present in an AC and associating each one with a score of severity. These data will be used in the creation of the ACCI, which will be applied to 40 patients diagnosed with this disorder at the Stomatology clinic of the Department of Dentistry of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) and who present a biopsy indication. The biopsied specimens will be classified according to the histopathological grading for Oral Epithelial Dysplasias (OEDs) recommended by the WHO (2017) and by the binary system of Kujan (2006), in order to relate these findings to the value obtained in the ACCI through a descriptive analysis. Partial results: According to literature review, 35 clinical characteristics related to AC were included to compose the questionnaire that was sent to 53 dentists. The data were compiled and after establishing some exclusion criteria, the tertile was calculated for the 24 remaining characteristics, being included in the index 16 characteristics with their respective severity scores.