The Cultivable Microflora of Denture Plaque from Patients with Denture-induced Stomatitis.

Abstract

Saliva and denture plaque samples were taken from a group of 20 patients with complete dentures who were suffering from denture-induced stomatitis. The samples were cultured and the proportions of a number of microbial groups were determined. The microflora of plaque taken from the fitting surface of the denture was dominated by streptococci, with gram-negative obligate anaerobes forming a smaller proportion although they were consistently present. Candida albicans was isolated from only 60 per cent of the samples and black-pigmented Bacteroides spp. and Staphylococcus aureus were detectable in only 10 per cent and 15 per cent of the samples respectively. The microflora of the saliva samples were similarly dominated by streptococci with gram-negative anaerobes being consistently present. Blackpigmented Bacteroides spp. were isolated from only 15 per cent of the samples, but, in contrast to the plaque specimens, S. aureus was isolated from the saliva of 70 per cent of the patients. C. albicans was cultured from 75 per cent of the saliva samples. The results of this study have demonstrated that the microflora of denture plaque and saliva from patients with denture-induced stomatitis is dominated by bacteria. C. albicans was not consistently isolated and, when present, comprised only a small proportion of the cultivable flora. Keywords: Denture plaque; Denture-induced stomatitis; Microbiology.