Prevalence and Clinicopathological Features of Actinic Cheilitis in Lifeguards in a Northeastern Brazil

Christian Simões Ferreira; Amanda Hala Pereira; Ana Júlia Latrilha Lima; Ingrid Alencar de Almeida; Pedro Leonardo Santos Franco; Yuri de Lima Medeiros; Rebeca Carolina Moraes Dantas

doi:10.17765/2176-9206.2026v19e13511

Authors

Christian Simões Ferreira Faculdade de Ilhéus https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8009-702X
Amanda Hala Pereira Faculdade de Ilhéus https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0164-0584
Ana Júlia Latrilha Lima Faculdade de Ilhéus https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5138-8461
Ingrid Alencar de Almeida Faculdade de Ilhéus https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2719-0958
Pedro Leonardo Santos Franco Faculdade de Ilhéus https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5863-0980
Yuri de Lima Medeiros Universidade de São Paulo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4013-7752
Rebeca Carolina Moraes Dantas Faculdade de Ilhéus https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2343-7873

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17765/2176-9206.2026v19e13511

Keywords:

Actinic cheilitis, Lifeguards, Epidemiology, Lip neoplasms

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of actinic cheilitis among lifeguards in a city on the northeastern coast of Brazil. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in March 2023 with 32 lifeguards from Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil, in which sociodemographic data, occupational information, health-related data, and the presence and severity of actinic cheilitis were collected, and descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation, and frequency distributions, were calculated using SPSS version 21.0 (Chicago, IL, USA). A total of 11 cases (34.3%) of actinic cheilitis were diagnosed among the lifeguards, all of whom were male, with a mean age of 20 years, predominantly white or mixed race skin color (91%), alcohol consumption (63.6%), and lack of use of lip sunscreen (63.6%). Most cases of actinic cheilitis were classified as grade I or II (81.8%), while lifeguards with more than 15 years of service were diagnosed with grades III and IV. The prevalence of actinic cheilitis among lifeguards was 34.4%, with most individuals presenting mild lesions, and the severity of the condition appears to increase with years of occupational exposure.

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Author Biographies

Christian Simões Ferreira, Faculdade de Ilhéus

Dental surgeon, Ilhéus College. Postgraduate student in Health Management at the Federal University of Pampa and in Orthodontics at São Leopoldo Mandic. Former volunteer scientific initiation student. Has a line of research on actinic cheilitis.

Amanda Hala Pereira, Faculdade de Ilhéus

Dentistry student at CESUPI - Ilhéus College. President of the Academic League of Stomatology and Oral Pathology (LAESP).

Ana Júlia Latrilha Lima, Faculdade de Ilhéus

He has experience in Dentistry, with an emphasis on Dentistry. Skilled in venipuncture and manipulation of leukoplatelet aggregates and biomaterials for bone grafting. Extension in oral health care for people in emergency dental situations. Extension in oral health care for people with transmissible infectious diseases.

Ingrid Alencar de Almeida, Faculdade de Ilhéus

She has a secondary education from Colégio Nossa Senhora da Vitória (2016). Has experience in dentistry.

Pedro Leonardo Santos Franco, Faculdade de Ilhéus

Graduating in Dentistry at CESUPl - Faculdade de Ilheus. President of the Academic League of Orofacial Aesthetics (LAEO) 2022-2023. Member of the Stomatology and Oral Pathology League (LAESP).

Yuri de Lima Medeiros, Universidade de São Paulo

I am currently a PhD student in the Postgraduate Program in Oral Diagnosis, Dental Radiology and Imaging, in the Stomatology, Pathology and Hospital Dentistry concentration area, at the University of São Paulo School of Dentistry (FOUSP). Specialist in Stomatology from the Multiprofessional Residency Program in Oncology at the A.C.Camargo Cancer Center (2024). Qualified in Laser Therapy by Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (2023). Qualified in Ozone Therapy by the Ana Carolina Puga Specialization Center - NEPUGA/FAPUGA (2022). Graduated in Dentistry from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (2021). He works in the following areas: oral cancer, potentially malignant oral disorders and oral complications secondary to cancer treatment.

Rebeca Carolina Moraes Dantas, Faculdade de Ilhéus

Graduated in Dentistry from the State University of Feira de Santana, UEFS, Specialist in Stomatology from the Brazilian Association of Dentistry - Bahia section, ABO-BA, Master in Dentistry from the Federal University of Pernambuco, UFPE and PhD in Dentistry and Health from the Federal University of Bahia, UFBA. She currently works as a Dental Surgeon at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Bahia - Uruçuca Campus, IFBAIANO and works in private practice in the areas of Stomatology and Laser Therapy.

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