Influence of 3 different forms of a commercially available denture adhesive material on the growth of Candida...

Although different forms of denture adhesives are widely used by the elderly, insufficient information is available for the effect of adhesives on the growth of Candida species.

The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the influence of 3 different forms of a commercially available denture adhesive material on the growth of Candida species by monitoring the pH and number of colonies in the growth medium at different incubation periods.

A total of 160 specimens of acrylic resin sheets of standard dimensions were fabricated and divided into 4 groups of 40 specimens each. The first group of 40 specimens was used as a control to which no adhesives were added. To the remaining groups, powder, cream, and strip forms of secure denture adhesives were added. After the addition of standard strains of Candida, 10 specimens from each group were then incubated for a specific period of 6 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, and 120 hours. The pH and the number of colonies in the medium were recorded for each specimen at its specific incubation period. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and the Tukey honest significant differences post hoc test (α=.05).

The specimens with different forms of adhesive showed a significant (P<.001) increase in the pH of the medium (pH 4.70 to 5.37) compared with the specimens without adhesives (pH 3.83 to 4.65). The specimens with adhesives also showed a reduction in the number of Candida colonies (216.50 to 388.10×10³ cells/μL) compared with the specimens without adhesives (325.90 to 400.50×10³ cells/μL).

All forms of denture adhesives tested exhibited an antifungal effect. Prolonged antifungal effect was shown by the strip form of adhesives.