In vitro and in vivo removal of oral Candida from the denture base

Gerodontology 2014; 10.1111/ger.12149 In vitro and in vivo removal of oral Candida from the denture base

Objectives

To clarify the effectiveness of ultrasonic cleaning for removing Candida lodged in the denture base.

Materials and Methods

In vitro – Specimens of acrylic resin for denture plates contaminated with Candida cells were ultrasonically cleaned for 30 min. Washings were sampled every 5 min and cultured to investigate residual contamination, measured as colony forming units/ml, and the surfaces of the specimens were subjected to low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy (LV-SEM). In vivo – A total of 24 maxillary denture bases were brushed for 2 min under running tap water, then ultrasonically cleaned for 30 min. The washings were sampled every 5 min and cultured to investigate residual contamination.

Results

In vitro – Maximum removal was achieved during the first 5 min of cleaning, with the mean CFU/ml counts significantly declining over time. More than 85% of all Candida was removed within the first 15 min in specimens inoculated with phosphate-buffered saline suspensions of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. LV-SEM revealed a decreased number of Candida on the surface of the specimens after 30 min of ultrasonic cleaning. In vivo – Maximum removal was achieved during the first 5 min of cleaning, then the mean CFU/ml count significantly declined during the first 10 min. Ultrasonic cleaning for 15 min removed 88.4% of Candida species from the denture base.

Conclusions

Ultrasonic cleaning is a reliable and simple method for removing Candida lodged in the denture base.