Critical Appraisal of Reports on the Treatment of Perioral Dermatitis

In the 2005 study by Weber and Thurmayr, the authors critically appraised the quality of treatment reports for perioral dermatitis, a skin condition characterized by a rash around the mouth. They reviewed 30 English and German articles, including 2 of their own, using evidence-based medicine principles. The review found only two therapeutic trials of medium quality, with the rest being of low quality. There was a consensus on the effectiveness of oral tetracycline (except for one study), the discontinuation of topical corticosteroids and cosmetics, and to a lesser extent, the absence of therapy. However, there was inconsistency regarding topical treatments. The authors concluded that the data could help interpret and conduct future studies on perioral dermatitis treatment, noting that the lack of high-quality studies and consensus on treatment approaches is a significant issue in managing the condition.