Appraisal and characterization of candida load isolated from the oral cavity of smokers

Cigarette smoking is regarded as a major global health risk, therefore the aim of this work was to investigate the association of oral Candida spp. as one of the etiological agents of denture stomatitis with smokers of cigarette, hookah (shisha), and electronic smoking, also a dose-response relationship between the duration of smoking and the probability of denture stomatitis between volunteers. Oral rinse samples were collected from 47 male volunteers including 34 smokers and 13 non-smokers, also data of volunteers were collected via a questionnaire forum. Patterns of smoking were shown that smokers using tobacco cigarettes 17 (36.2 %), electronic cigarettes 16 (34.04 %), and hookah smokers 8 (17.02 %). A comparison of smokers and non-smokers regarding effects on oral health showed significantly finding (P < 0.05) indicating that smoking affects oral health in all evaluated parameters (an oral mucosal abnormality, mouth ulcers, bad breath, and feeling of dry mouth). Out of 19 Candida isolates, 18 (94.7 %) were identified as Candida albicans and 1 (5.3 %) as Candida tropicalis. Among the volunteers who presented with oral Candida (19 volunteers), 17 (89.5%) were smokers, while non-smoker volunteers were 2 (10.5 %), so it can be concluded that smoking was a significant positive correlation to the presence of Candida in the oral cavity. Five volunteers suffered from chronic diseases; 4 (8.5%) diabetes mellitus and 1 (2.1%) anemia as a systemic predisposing factor for oropharyngeal infection. Amphotericin and Nystatin had varying degrees of activity against isolated Candida isolates.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study aims to investigate the association between different smoking methods (cigarette, hookah, and electronic smoking) and denture stomatitis caused by oral Candida spp. It also explores the dose-response relationship between smoking duration and the probability of denture stomatitis. The results show that smoking has a significant impact on oral health and is positively associated with oral Candida infection. Furthermore, chronic diseases may serve as systemic predisposing factors for oropharyngeal infection.