Salivary Candida species carriage patterns and their relation to caries experience among yemeni children

This study was carried out to assess the carriage rates, counts and species distribution of Candida in saliva of 6- to 12-year-old Yemeni children and relate that to their caries experience.

One hundred eighty children were recruited. Oral hygiene and caries were assessed using the simplified oral hygiene index and dft/DMFT index, respectively. Detection and quantification of 4 Candida species in unstimulated saliva were performed using CHROMagar Candida medium. Data were analysed using regression analysis.

Candida was detected in 60% of the children with a mean count of 923 ± 1875 CFU/ml. C. albicans accounted for 60% of the isolates and was the only species to be detected with more than 1000 CFU/ml. Non-albicans candida and unidentified species represented 16.3% and 23.1% of the isolates, respectively. One novel finding was that a significant proportion (38%) of the carriers harboured two or more species, which for the first time allowed the identification of four age-dependent carriage patterns (clusters). Another somewhat new observation was that carriage at ≥ 1000 CFU/ml in particular significantly correlated with caries in primary and permanent dentitions (r = 0.23 and 0.18, respectively) as well as a caries-active status (OR = 6.9). Interestingly, the C. glabrata cluster had significantly lower primary caries scores than other clusters.

The findings substantiate claims of geographical variations in candida carriage and the relation between candida carriage and caries. The validity of carrier clusters and the use of 1000 CFU/ml as a risk marker should be further investigated.