Prevalence and risk factors of candidiasis in patients with total prostheses.

This study aims to determine the prevalence of oral candidiasis and its possible relationship
with risk factors in patients wearing total dental prosthetics. The investigation was carried out
at the Dr. René Puig Bentz Odontológica Clinic of the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez
Ureña (UNPHU), during the period from May 2025 to August 2025, using a transversal,
experimental and primary source design.
60 patients who met specific inclusion criteria were included. Each person was given a
questionnaire designed to evaluate general health conditions, use and status of the device,
hygiene habits, and presence of oral symptoms. Subsequently, a clinical evaluation of oral
cavity and prosthetics was carried out, and the muscles were collected by exfoliative cytology.
These were dyed with methylene blue and observed under the microscope to confirm the
presence of Candida albicans. The statistical analysis included frequency tables and the
probability of Chi-cuadrado, with a significance level of 5%.
The results indicated a prevalence of oral candidiasis of 28.3%. Although clinical trends were
identified, such as the major presence of candidiasis in patients of advanced age and with
deficient prosthetic hygiene, no statistically significant associations were encountered within
the infection and the factors being analyzed (education, sex, hygiene, comorbidities,
consumption of alcohol or tobacco, quality and integrity of saliva). The saurral aspect of the
tongue and the coral pink palatal color were frequent in the group with candidiasis.
Microbiologically, the presence of inflammatory cells was observed in 16.7% of the cells and
bacterial colonies in 90%.

If we conclude that, although oral candidiasis occurs with moderate frequency in users of total
prosthetics, the factors evaluated did not show a significant relationship with its appearance.
The low state power, attributed to the musical scale, may limit the detection of relevant
associations. The hallazgos highlight the need to implement clinical follow-up programs,
education about prosthetic hygiene and studies with more extensive training to deepen the
understanding of this condition.