Prevalence of oral Candida carriage and Candida species among cigarette and maras powder users

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Candida carriage and Candida species among cigarette and Maras powder (MP) users. Material and methods: This study was conducted on 180 volunteering men in 20 cafehouses in the city of Kahramanmaras, Turkey. The sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and the behaviors of MP and cigarette usage were noted down. Culture specimens were obtained from bilateral buccal mucosa and dorsum of the tongue with a sterile cotton-tipped swap. Results: The specimens were inoculated into Sabouraud Dextrose Agar. The mean age of the participants was 40.49 +/- 12.89 years (min = 18, max = 87). Fifty-eight percent of the cigarette users, 56.7% of the MP users, and 36.7% of the control group were Candida carriers. The difference of Candida carriage between cigarette and MP users and the control group was statistically significant (P = 0.018 and P = 0.029 respectively). The prevalence of Candida carriage was similar between cigarette and MP users (P = 0.854). The most frequently isolated species was Candida albicans at a rate of 30% in the cigarette users' group, 28.3% in the MP users' group and at a rate of 18.3% in the controls. The prevalence of Candida tropicalis carriage was found to be at a rate of 20% in cigarette and 21.7% in the MP users' group compared to 11.7% in the nonusers. Conclusions: In the present study we found that the prevalence of oral Candida carriage was significantly higher among cigarette and MP users.