The Involvement of Candida Albicans and the Usefulness of Antifungal Therapy in the Burning Mouth Syndrome

Abstract

To examine the involvement of Candida albicans in burning mouth syndrome, we detected C. albicans by swab culture, along with the germ tube test, from swab samples of the lingual mucosa, and estimated the effect of antifungal therapy on yeast-positive patients. The subjects included 33 patients: 11 males and 22 females. Twenty-six healthy individuals with no oral mucosal disease were examined as a control group. The prevalence of C. albicans was higher in the disease group than in the control, at 48.5% and 34.6%, respectively, although there was no statistically significant difference. Oral rinsing with an antifungal agent reduced the burning sensation in 61.5% of the C. albicans-positive patients, and gave complete releif in 30.8%. These findings suggested that subclinical oral candidiasis might be involved in burning mouth syndrome. In conclusion, it is necessary to do a fungal culture in burning mouth syndrome patients, and if C. albicans is detected, antifungal therapy is recommended as the first therapeutic choice.