Effect of nystatin in the treatment of denture stomatitis

The effect of nystatin treatment on denture stomatitis subclassified as generalized simple inflammation and inflammatory papillary hyperplasia has been studied. Twenty-four patients were carefully instructed to apply a thin layer of nystatin dusting powder on the fitting surface of the maxillary denture three times a day for 14 d. Different parameters were studied on three occasions; at the beginning of experiment and after 14 and 28 d. An untreated group of 24 patients with the same types of denture stomatitis served as control. The effect of treatment was evaluated by changes in the clinical erythema, the yeast colonization obtained by mycologic sampling on the palatal mucosa and on the denture base, and changes in the histologic picture of the mucosa obtained by biopsy. Subepithelial inflammation, leukocyte penetration, edema and thickness of the epithelium were histologic parameters. After 14 d of treatment the experimental group compared with the control group showed a statistically significant decrease in palatal erythema and in the amount of yeast colonies. No significant changes were found microscopically. Twenty-eight days after start, i.e. 14 d after withdrawal of the nystatin, there still was a statistically significant improvement of the palatal erythema in the experimental group compared with the controls. However, no patient was totally cured. There were no significant changes in the number of yeast colonies and the histologic parameters.