Candida-associated denture stomatitis in patients after immunosuppression therapy

Patients who undergo kidney or liver transplantation receive long-lasting immunosuppressive therapy. The resultant unfavorable symptoms result from immune deficiency and the side effects of the medications. The aim of this study was to establish the frequency and intensity of denture stomatitis and oral candidiasis among denture-wearing patients who were treated with immunosuppressive drugs. The study was performed in the group of denture wearers with a transplanted kidney or liver who had been treated with immunosuppressive medications. The control group included healthy people wearing dentures. We made physical and clinical examinations in both groups. The history covered nonobjective symptoms in the oral cavity, hygienic habits in the mouth, and the time span during which the dentures had been used. We also evaluated the conditions of the oral mucosal membrane, angular cheilitis, as well as denture stabilization. In both groups mycological investigations were performed by inoculating a direct swab from the oral mucosa and the denture surface on Soborauda agar. The results of our study suggest that patients with immunosuppression were more frequently subject to Candida albicans infections and stomatitis.