Strategies for Preventing and Treating Oral Mucosal Infections Associated with Removable Dentures: A Scoping Review.

Oral infections occur due to contact between biofilm rich in Candida albicans formed on the inner surface of complete dentures and the mucosa. This study investigated historical advances in the prevention and treatment of oral mucosal infection and identified gaps in the literature. Bibliographic research was conducted, looking at PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus, where 935 articles were found. After removing duplicates and excluding articles by reading the title and abstract, 131 articles were selected for full reading and 104 articles were included. Another 38 articles were added from the gray literature. This review followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The historical period described ranges from 1969 to 2023, in which, during the 21st century, in vitro and in vivo studies became more common and, from 2010 to 2023, the number of randomized controlled trials increased. Among the various approaches tested are the incorporation of antimicrobial products into prosthetic materials, the improvement of oral and denture hygiene protocols, the development of synthetic and natural products for the chemical control of microorganisms, and intervention with local or systemic antimicrobial agents. Studies report good results with brushing combined with sodium hypochlorite, and new disinfectant solutions and products incorporated into prosthetic materials are promising.

Action of disinfectant solutions on adaptive capacity and virulence factors of the Candida spp. biofilms formed on acrylic resin.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the behavior of Candida spp. when exposed to denture disinfectants is essential to optimize their effectiveness. Changes in the virulence factors may cause increased resistance of Candida spp. to disinfectant agents. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the microbial load, cellular metabolism, hydrolytic enzyme production, hyphae formation, live cell and biofilm quantification of Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis and Candida glabrata after exposure to disinfectant solutions. METHODOLOGY: Simple biofilms were grown on heat-polymerized acrylic resin specimens, and divided into groups according to solutions/strains: distilled water (control); 0.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl 0.25% ); 10% Ricinus communis (RC 10%); and 0.5% Chloramine T (CT 0.5%). The virulence factors were evaluated using the CFU count (microbial load), XTT method (cell metabolism), epifluorescence microscopy (biofilm removal and live or dead cells adhered), protease and phospholipase production and hyphae formation. Data were analyzed (α=0.05) by one-way ANOVA/ Tukey post hoc test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: NaOCl 0.25% was the most effective solution. CT 0.5% reduced the number of CFUs more than RC 10% and the control. RC 10% was effective only against C. glabrata. RC 10% and CT 0.5% decreased the cellular metabolism of C. albicans and C. glabrata. Enzyme production was not affected. Hyphal growth in the RC 10% and CT 0.5% groups was similar to that of the control. CT 0.5% was better than RC 10% against C. albicans and C. tropicalis when measuring the total amount of biofilm and number of living cells. For C. glabrata, CT 0.5% was equal to RC 10% in the maintenance of living cells; RC 10% was superior for biofilm removal. CONCLUSIONS: The CT 0.5% achieved better results than those of Ricinus communis at 10%, favoring the creation of specific products for dentures. Adjustments in the formulations of RC 10% are necessary due to efficacy against C. glabrata. The NaOCl 0.25% is the most effective and could be suitable for use as a positive control.

The Impact of an Ocular Prosthesis on the Quality of Life, Perceived Stress, and Clinical Adaptation of Anophthalmic Patients: A Clinical and Longitudinal Trial.

PURPOSE: This prospective study evaluated and correlated the impact of ocular prostheses on quality of life and stress with socioeconomic level and clinical characteristics. The clinical difficulties and perceptions of patients after ocular rehabilitation were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anophthalmic patients (at least 18 years of age) who were not users of ocular prostheses were recruited. The Medical Outcomes Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) questionnaires were administered before and after 3 and 6 months of prosthesis installation. Clinical characteristics, difficulties, and perceptions were evaluated by quantitative and descriptive analysis (7 days, 3 months, 6 months). Data were analyzed by the Friedman test and Pearson Correlation test (α = 0.05). RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 26 patients. Quality of life showed improvement in the "Bodily Pain" and "General Health" domains. Wearing the prosthesis did not influence perceived stress. The clinical evaluation showed clinical discharge over 6 months and presence of pain only at 7 days. A weak correlation occurred between sociodemographic characteristics and the categories "Role-Physical" (r = 0.423) and "General Health" (r = 0.494); cause of anophthalmia and "Role-Physical" (r = -0.471); and type of surgery and "General Health" (r = -0.432). CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study, the provision of ocular prostheses showed positive influence in 2 domains of quality of life and weak correlations with socioeconomic level, type of surgery, and cause of loss. Ocular rehabilitation did not influence stress. The use and care of the prostheses did not affect tissue inflammation, but the discharge was continuous.

Action of disinfectant solutions on adaptive capacity and virulence factors of the Candida spp. biofilms formed on acrylic resin

Abstract Understanding the behavior of Candida spp. when exposed to denture disinfectants is essential to optimize their effectiveness. Changes in the virulence factors may cause increased resistance of Candida spp. to disinfectant agents. Objective To evaluate the microbial load, cellular metabolism, hydrolytic enzyme production, hyphae formation, live cell and biofilm quantification of Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis and Candida glabrata after exposure to disinfectant solutions. Methodology Simple biofilms were grown on heat-polymerized acrylic resin specimens, and divided into groups according to solutions/strains: distilled water (control); 0.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl 0.25% ); 10% Ricinus communis (RC 10%); and 0.5% Chloramine T (CT 0.5%). The virulence factors were evaluated using the CFU count (microbial load), XTT method (cell metabolism), epifluorescence microscopy (biofilm removal and live or dead cells adhered), protease and phospholipase production and hyphae formation. Data were analyzed (α=0.05) by one-way ANOVA/ Tukey post hoc test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon test. Results NaOCl 0.25% was the most effective solution. CT 0.5% reduced the number of CFUs more than RC 10% and the control. RC 10% was effective only against C. glabrata. RC 10% and CT 0.5% decreased the cellular metabolism of C. albicans and C. glabrata. Enzyme production was not affected. Hyphal growth in the RC 10% and CT 0.5% groups was similar to that of the control. CT 0.5% was better than RC 10% against C. albicans and C. tropicalis when measuring the total amount of biofilm and number of living cells. For C. glabrata, CT 0.5% was equal to RC 10% in the maintenance of living cells; RC 10% was superior for biofilm removal. Conclusions The CT 0.5% achieved better results than those of Ricinus communis at 10%, favoring the creation of specific products for dentures. Adjustments in the formulations of RC 10% are necessary due to efficacy against C. glabrata. The NaOCl 0.25% is the most effective and could be suitable for use as a positive control.