Candida's prevalence evaluation toward probiotics usage

Candida is an opportunist yeast present, even subclinically, in the oral microflora of most elderly denture wearers. Recently, probiotics have become known for benefiting people's health and preventing diseases. Objectives: Evaluate the capacity of the probiotics in reducing the prevalence of different species of Candida isolated in the oral cavity. Methods: In this experiment took part 158 individuals, all treated at the School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo. Subjects were selected both for being denture wearers and the subclinical presence of Candida. Material was collected via a SWAB brush in the area of the palate. Samples were cultivated in a Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (Difco) from 24 to 48 hours, and the yeast quantified (UFC/mL). The identification of the Candida species followed Kurtzman and Fell's method, 1998. As a randomized double-blind intervention, subjects were randomly sorted into two groups: experimental (probiotics: L. rhamnosus e L. acidophilus, in 10⁹ UFC) and control (placebo), later revealed. Subjects utilized the due product as powder contained in gel capsules, applying it over the maxillary denture, daily for ten weeks. New collection and analysis of material took place in the fifth and tenth weeks. Results: The reduction of UFC of Candida sp occurred in 79,3% of the patients from the experimental group. The greatest prevalence was of C. albicans (37%), followed by C. guilliermondii (26%), C. glabrata and C. tropicalis (14% each). According to the Chi-squared test (X²= 20,75), there is an association statistically relevant between the reduction of the fungus with the use of probiotics (p<0,005) and the statistical independence between yeast reduction and the species found. Conclusion: the use of probiotics suggests it is effective in reducing the prevalence of various species of Candida, thus a possible preventive mean against opportunist infections by this yeast in the oral cavity.