Abstract
Objective : The present study aimed to compare and quantify the presence of Candida albicans in precancerous and cancerous oral mucosal lesions.
Materials & Methods : A total of 135 cases were studied [Group I, 45 cases of precancerous lesions ; Group II, 45 cases of malignant lesions ; and Group III, 45 cases of precancerous conditions such as lichen planus and oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF)]. Three cytological smears were made from lesional tissue. One wet smear was made with 10% potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution and the two other smears were stained with Gram's stain and periodic acid Schiff (PAS) stain. Colonies were cultured on Sabouraoud's dextrose agar (SDA) medium followed by quantification on a colony counter. Germ tube test confirmed the species as C. albicans.
Results : Using a two-way Anova test, a statistically significant association was found between C. albicans and precancer (p<0.05, p<0.01). Similarly, the frequency of oral yeast carriage was significantly greater (p<0.05, p<0.01) in the malignant lesions group than the precancerous lesions as well as precancerous conditions. However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups of precancerous lesions and precancerous conditions.
Conclusion : The present results suggested a close correlation of Candida infections to leukoplakias and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), supporting an association between Candida species and oral neoplasia.
