Prevalence of oral Candida in saliva of uncontrolled and controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus patients – Beyond reasonable doubt?

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of Candida in the saliva of uncontrolled and controlled group of type II diabetic and in nondiabetic individuals. Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Subjects and Methods: Total study group consists of 75 type 2 diabetic patients, in which 25 patients in Group I were taken as controlled diabetics, 25 patients in Group II were considered as uncontrolled diabetics, and 25 patients were considered as nondiabetics, control group in Group III, respectively. Statistical Analysis Used: Student's t-test, Chi-square test, and one-way ANOVA test were used in this study. Results: In this study, a total of 75 patients were included, of which a total of 30 saliva samples had shown the presence of candidial growth. Out of 25 saliva samples collected from Group I (controlled diabetic patients), 11 samples showed the presence of candidial growth and out of 25 samples collected from Group II (uncontrolled diabetic patients), 19 samples showed the presence of candidial growth. Samples obtained from Group III (nondiabetic patients) were negative for any candidial growth. A significant difference was observed in candidial growth from saliva samples obtained between the various study groups. The uncontrolled diabetic patients group showed a higher candidial colony-forming unit when compared with that of controlled diabetic patients group. Conclusion: The prevalence of Candida in the oral cavity of patients with diabetes is of primary concern for dentists in the early detection of opportunistic infections, such as oral candidiasis, by understanding the predisposing local and systemic factors. The habitat provided by the predisposing disease may, beyond reasonable doubt, reset the microbiological environment to favor the proliferation and colonization of opportunistic microorganisms such as the oral commensal, Candida.