ABSTRACT
This investigation was designed to evaluate the frequency of oral candidosis in patients of Kerman dental clinics. In this descriptive - analytical study, 318 patients were evaluated for oral candidosis. The diagnosis of candidosis was established by clinical signs in conjunction with exfoliative cytologic examination. The statistical tests were included chi - square, t test and fisher's exact test. This study showed that 21.4% [68 out of 318] of the study population had candidal infection. There was a significant correlation between sex, age, cigarette smoking, burning sensation of the mouth and wearing of complete denture with candidosis [P<0.05]. Cytologic smears were positive in 87.4% of the study population. Positive cytologic smears were found in 63.5% of patients without suspected clinical signs of candidosis. Since some candidal strains may have the potential to promote the development of oral cancer, the relative high frequency of candidosis in this study should be noticed. As cigarette smoking and denture wearing were associated with the candidal infection, public information about the importance of regular rinsing of the appliance with a dilute solution of household bleach and harmful effects of cigarette smoking should be raised. Meanwhile this study confirms that the presence of hyphae in oral cytologic smears alone not to be considered as a criterion for diagnosis of candidosis