Effect of Denture Adhesives on Adhesion of Candida albicans to Denture Base Materials: An In Vitro Study.

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the adhesion of Candida albicans (CA) to the surface of the denture base using two different types of resins after exposure to denture adhesives (DAs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five samples of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and 25 samples of urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) (10 mm x 10 mm x 2 mm) were prepared and allocated to 10 groups (five samples in each group). For each type of denture base materials, four test groups were immersed for 30 days in four commercially available DAs in addition to water as control group. Specimens were then in vitro evaluated for CA adhesion using light microscopy under x 1,000 magnification. RESULTS: The results showed that the mean number of CA per specimen in the adhesive-exposed groups was higher than that in the control group for both UDMA and PMMA resins. However, this difference was not statistically significant. No association between the type of denture base material and Candida count was identified following immersion in different types of DA and distilled water (p >0.05). Candida count was not associated with the type of DA when UDMA specimens were compared (p >0.05). PMMA resin specimens that were immersed in Corega cream showed significantly higher counts of Candida compared to control specimens that were immersed in distilled water (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: The study found no association between the type of denture base materials and CA adhesion. No clear impact was identified for the type of DA on CA adhesion to acrylic denture bases. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Using DAs would likely not increase the incidence of denture stomatitis in completely edentulous patients.