Abstract

Detección de Especies de Candida en Pacientes con Estomatitis Sub-Protésica. Acta odontol. venez [online]. 2001, vol.39, n.3, pp.32-44. ISSN 0001-6365.

Denture Stomatitis (D.S.) is one of the most common diseases that affects denture wearers patients arround the world. Multiple aetiological and predisposing factors, including allergy, denture trauma, stress and its relation with systemic diseases are believed to be responsible for its initiation and progression. The role of fungi in the aetiology of D.S. has been discussed and there are a lot of studies that incriminated microorganisms of Genus Candida (in particular Candida albicans) like etiological agents related with this pathology. Nevertheless, other Candida species can be involved like etiological agents too. For this reason, the purpose of this study was to detect Candida species in D.S. patients who went to the Oral Pathology service located in Dentistry Faculty at Central University of Venezuela. Forty (40) patients were selected in this study and divided in two groups: 1) Experimental Group: 30 patients with D.S. and 2) Control Group: 10 patients without D.S. Two samples were taken from each patient (one from palatal mucosa and the other from dentures). Candida species were identified on the basis of yeasts observation, germ tube formation, chlamydospore formation and through use of the API 20 C AUX (Biomerieux) system. Results of this study developed that C. albicans was the most frequent yeast found from palatal and denture samples of patients with D.S. and 6 other Candida species could be found in a low percentage of patients with D.S. C. albicans could be also found from palate samples of 3 out of 10 patients of the Control Group.

Keywords : Denture Stomatitis; Candida albicans; Candida species.