Abstract
The ability of the following four denture cleaners to eliminate Candida albicans (C. albicans), which causes denture stomatitis, was investigated: Pika, Polident, Tafudent and Korekuto. Four clinical strains of C. albicans isolated from the mouths of elderly individuals were used to form in vitro biofilms.
These four strains of C. albicans were then subjected to each of the four denture cleaners, and after a period of 30 minutes, significant elimination was confirmed with all four cleaners when compared to distilled water (control). However, it took more than 60 minutes to eliminate most of the biofilm-forming C. albicans attached to the bottom of plates. Furthermore, to ensure almost complete removal of all biofilm-forming C. albicans, 6 hours was required, rising to 24 hours for one of the denture cleaners.
The results of the present study clarify that it is necessary to soak dentures for a long period of time to sufficiently eliminate biofilm-forming C. albicans, and that the degree of C. albicans elimination can be used as a means of evaluating denture cleaners effectiveness.
