Prevalence of actinic cheilitis in Brazilian semi-arid region farmers

Introduction: Actinic cheilitis is an inflammatory, potentially malignant lesion associated with excessive sun exposure. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of actinic cheilitis in a group of farmers, as well as the perception and knowledge of that group about this lesion. Methods: The observation...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Izabelly Germinia Gomes de Melo (Author), Marianne Vasconcelos Carvalho (Author), Fernando Flávio Souza Vaz (Author), Adriano Referino da Silva Sobrinho (Author), Natália Gomes de Oliveira (Author), Eduardo Sérgio Donato Duarte Filho (Author), Stefânia Jeronimo Ferreira (Author)
Format: Book
Published: Editorial Ciencias Médicas, 2021-08-01T00:00:00Z.
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Summary:Introduction: Actinic cheilitis is an inflammatory, potentially malignant lesion associated with excessive sun exposure. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of actinic cheilitis in a group of farmers, as well as the perception and knowledge of that group about this lesion. Methods: The observational epidemiological study included Brazilian semi-arid region farmers. The sample was obtained for accessibility to this population and a total of 219 farmers was reached. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data in addition to the intraoral physical examination. Results: Actinic cheilitis was diagnosed in 30.6% of the examined farmers. The lesion was found more frequently in males (86.6%), older than 60 years (64.2%), and leukoderma (58.2%). Most individuals with actinic cheilitis were exposed to solar radiation for more than 30 years (65.7%), for more than 6 hours a day (73.1%), and did not adequately protect themselves (94%). Sex, age, education level, drinking habits, and time of sun exposure had a statistically significant correlation with the presence of actinic cheilitis (p <0.05). It was found that 76.1% of the participants did not notice signs and 61.2% did not perceive symptoms of this injury. Knowledge about actinic cheilitis was low for 97% of individuals with the lesion. Conclusions: The results showed a high prevalence of actinic cheilitis, in addition to low perception and knowledge about it, which indicates the need for health education actions.
Item Description:0034-7507
1561-297X