The effect of denture adhesives on Candida albicans growth in vitro

Objective: Denture-wearing favours the growth of Candida. In view of the fact that many denture wearers regularly use adhesives to enhance denture retention, stability and function, the aim of this work was to study the effect of denture adhesives on Candida albicans growth in vitro. Materials and methods: The denture adhesives tested were Corega (R) cream, Kukident (R) cream, Novafix (R) cream, Polident (R) cream, Protefix (R) cream, Steradent (R) cream, Aderyn (R) powder, Corega (R) ultra powder, Protefix (R) powder and Corega (R) strip. C. albicans growth curves were obtained in the presence or absence of a 1% solution of the denture adhesive diluted in Sabouraud broth. Macro-and microscopic morphological changes in C. albicans were analysed, as was microbial contamination of the denture adhesive. Results: Most of the denture adhesives studied induced morphological changes in C. albicans cells and colonies, but only two had any significant inhibitory effect on yeast growth. Kukident (R) cream markedly inhibited C. albicans growth in a concentration-dependent way, reducing the growth rate by 95%, whereas Corega (R) cream also inhibited C. albicans growth but in a non-concentration-dependent way, reducing the growth rate by 37%. In addition, denture adhesives available as powders had detectable microbial contamination. Conclusion: Some commercially available denture adhesives showed microbial contamination and some had significant inhibitory effect on C. albicans growth.