RESUMEN
The effects of four liquid components of denture acrylic resin on host cell activity and fungal adhesion were investigated in this study. The low concentration (1 micromol l(-1)) of the liquid components caused no change in the activities and morphologies of the gingival fibroblast cells, compared with control and dimethylsulphoxide-exposed cells. However, when the cells were exposed to high concentrations (1 mmol l(-1)) of benzqyl peroxide, morphological change was observed, implying that the exposure of the cells to high concentrations of the liquid components of denture acrylic causes the loss of adhesion proteins from the cells. Thus the amount of Candida adhesion to human gingival cells was analysed, and the adherence of fungi to the cell was significantly reduced when the cells were pre-exposed to methyl methacrylate, hydroquinone and benzoyl peroxide at a concentration of 1 micromol l(-1) (P < 0.01), which did not affect either the cell viability or the cell morphology. These results, taken together, suggested that the renewal of dentures could be a possible therapeutic and/or preventive aid for oral candidosis in denture-wearing patients.