Comparison of Candida Albicans Adhesion to Various Denture Base Materials

Objectives: Denture stomatitis is a common fungal infection, affecting up to 76% of removable denture patients and is often associated with Candida Albicans (CA) biofilms. A wide range of materials with various processing techniques are used for denture bases. This research examines the adhesion of CA to the surface of various denture base materials and its relation to surface roughness.
Methods: Rectangular samples of (15x5x2mm)(n=15) were fabricated for seven different denture base materials: Group 1-Avadent® CAD/CAM (A), Group 2-Eclipse ® Dentsply, (E), Group 3-SR Ivocap® High Impact , Ivoclar Vivadent (SRI-HI), Group 4-Clear Ivocap®, Ivoclar Vivadent (CI), Group 5-Lucitone® FRS flexible, Dentsply (L-FRS), Group 6-Nature-CRYL® Pour, GC America (NCP-GC), Group 7-DC acrylic Luciton® S.P., Dentsply (DC-SP). After polishing, surface roughness (Ra) values were measured using a Mitutoyo® profilometer. All samples were incubated with CA suspension (SC5314) for 1 hour at 37°C. Serial dilutions of the original suspension (106 cells/ml) were then plated, along with dilutions of the suspension that was removed from the material, on several YPglucose agar plates and aerobically incubated at 37°C for 48 h. Adherence was calculated by measuring the CFU (Colony Forming Units) bound to the pieces and the total CFU (Colony Forming Unit) and determining % binding. Statistical analyses were performed using Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman Correlation analysis.
Results: Median of CA adhesion values ranged from (0.0) Avadent® to (8.0) Eclipse® (p<0.02). Overall, CI (4.3) and SRI-HI (1.4) showed more adhesion than L-FRS (0.3), DC-SP (0.1), NCP-GC (0.2) and Avadent (0) groups. Ra values also varied: L-FRS (0.7) and NCP-GC (0.12) showed rougher surfaces than CI (0.03), SRIHI (0.03), Eclipse (0.05) and Avadent (0.03) groups (p<0.02). Significant correlations were observed between CA and Ra as well.
Conclusions: Denture base materials differ in surface roughness values and CA adhesion; smoother surfaces had less CA adhesion.