Oral Candida carriage of patients attending a dental clinic in Braga,Portugal

BackgroundThe ability of the Candida species to colonize surfaces can be considered as a risk factor for oral infection.AimsTo establish oral Candida carriage in patients attending a dental clinic in Braga, Portugal.MethodsA total of 97 patients were analysed. Swab samples were collected and directly cultured onto CHROMagar Candida. Representative yeasts were identified by polymerase chain reaction.ResultsFrom the samples analysed 54.6% (n=53) were Candida positive, and Candida albicans was the most frequently isolated species, accounting for 79% of all the species identified. Non-C. albicans Candida (NCAC) species recovered included Candida parapsilosis, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, and Candida guilliermondii. There was a lack of association between the presence of C. albicans or NCAC species, and age, gender, or prostheses wearing in this population. In 17% of the cases (n=9), polymicrobial cultures, with two different Candida species, were identified.ConclusionsThis study shows a high Candida carriage rate among this population, thus pointing to the relevance of an accurate diagnostic approach in Candida species identification.