J Oral Med Pain.  2021 Jun;46(2):33-40. 10.14476/jomp.2021.46.2.33.

Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Oral Candidiasis

• Kim JH
• Ahn JM

• KMID: 2552365
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14476/jomp.2021.46.2.33

Abstract

Purpose
Oral candidiasis is the most common fungal infection in the oral cavity which is usually diagnosed from clinical findings. A retrospective study was conducted to identify risk factors for oral candidiasis and to characterize the demographic and clinical features of affected patients.
Methods
From January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019, it consisted of 90 oral candidiasis patients diagnosed based on clinical finding and treated with antifungal drugs. As a retrospective study of those people, surveys were conducted on sex, age, systemic disease, a use of dentures, complaints of dry mouth, smoking and alcohol consumption, culture on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium, culture on chromogenic agar (CA) medium and a duration of antifungal treatment.
Results
Among 90 selected patients, the male and female ratio was 41:49. Overall, female had a higher infection rate than male in all age groups. In this study, oral candidiasis was not clearly susceptible to dry mouth, smoking or drinking, wearing dentures and association with systemic disease. Among 90 patients with oral candidiasis, 83 had colonies formed on PDA medium and 53 had colonies formed on CA medium. The duration of antifungal treatment was highest between 5 and 8 weeks. In addition, there was statistical significance between the culture results in CA medium and the duration of antifungal treatment.
Conclusions
Generally, old age or infants, dry mouth, smoking, a use of dentures and endocrine abnormalities are risk factors to increase oral candidiasis; however, in this study, it was mainly found in the elderly aged 60 or older regardless of sex and the incidence of oral candidiasis was not obviously related with patients with dry mouth, smoking or drinking, denture wearers and endocrine abnormalities. Interestingly, when the fungi were cultured in CA medium, the duration of antifungal treatment was increased.

Keyword

Clinical characteristics; Oral candidiasis