Resumo

BERTINI, Fernanda et al. Histological analysis of the actinic cheilitis: an interobserver approach. IJD, Int. j. dent. [online]. 2010, vol.9, n.1, pp. 6-10. ISSN 1806-146X.

Actinic Cheilitis (AC) is a clinical entity caused by excessive solar radiation exposure. This disease affects almost exclusively fair-skinned people with outdoor ocupations or those who have activities under prolonged exposure to sunlight. Due to its slow progression, the patient attributes his condition to the ageing process, ignoring its evolutive and malignant nature. The scope of this study is to establish a criteria standardization for being used as a reference in the histological evaluation of the epithelial changes, levels of atypia and connective tissue behavior that compromise the lip epithelium with AC. 48 slides were analyzed by two independent observers with different levels of experience and academic backgrounds. In the connective tissue, solar elastosis was found in 100% of the patients with varied degrees of inflammatory infiltrate and vessel dilatation. The presence of epithelial dysplasia was also seen in the whole sample, but one. The inter-examiners agreemnet degree by Kappa varied from substantial to perfect. We concluded that the inter-examiners previous calibration as well as the criteria standardization helped in the inter-examiner agreement degree, and that the academic background as well as the slide preparation influenced the study.

Palavras-chave : Actinic; cheilitis; inter-examiners; epithelial; dysplasia; lips.