HIGH-POWER DIODE LASER AS A CONSERVATIVE APPROACH FOR ACTINIC CHEILITIS WITH SEVERE DYSPLASIA: CASE REPORT

A 41-year-old male patient, a white farmer, was referred to the stomatology clinic diagnosed as having actinic cheilitis. Clinically, atrophic and leukoplastic areas were observed throughout the lower lip, and loss of the border between the red lip skin and the cutaneous portion. An incisional biopsy was performed in the leukoplastic area, and histopathologic examination showed atrophic and atypical stratified orthokeratinized pavement epithelium with severe oral epithelial dysplasia. The therapeutic approach was the removal of all leukoplastic areas using the high-intensity diode laser for re-epithelialization of the affected mucosa. Proper follow-up is being performed every 3 months, and after 9 months, no signs of relapse were observed. Because of the potential for malignancy of actinic cheilitis and the presence of dysplastic epithelial alterations, an early approach is justified. The vaporization of the labial tissues with high-intensity diode laser was effective in superficial removal of affected tissues.