Resumen

LEITE, Rubens Marcelo Souza; LEITE, Adriana Aragão Craveiro; FRIEDMAN, Horácio  y  FRIEDMAN, Isabel. Chronic oral breathing as a risk factor for the development of actinic cheilitis. An. Bras. Dermatol. [online]. 2003, vol.78, n.1, pp. 73-78. ISSN 1806-4841.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0365-05962003000100007.

Chronic oral breathing is characterized by respiratory and anatomic alterations found in children who breathe through their mouth only. Through open-mouth breathing, these patients develop anatomic deformities such as a typical adenoid facies. Such anatomic alterations make the lower lip of these patients more prone to UV action and its related actinic damage. This paper discusses an 11-year-old boy with chronic oral breathing who showed serious actinic damage to his lower lip. The authors argue that chronic oral breathing could be a risk factor for the development of actinic cheilitis.

Palabras llave : cheilitis; mouth breathing.