RESUMO
Some 50% patients wearing complete dentures [CD] develop denture related stomatitis [DRS]. Candida albicans are the predominant infective organisms causing DRS. Several approaches have been recommended to treat DRS in elderly but the outcome is unpredictable because of poor patients' compliance. The effect of the application of tissue conditioner, on Candida albicans colonies reduction in DRS patients. This was an interventional, Quasi Experimental study of one year duration from January 2007 to December 2007. Using a purposive convenience sampling technique, 36 DRS patients wearing maxillary CDs were selected. In each subject, a layer of a polymeric resin based tissue conditioning material was applied to the fitting surface of their maxillary complete denture. Comparison of candida colonies counts was made that were cultivated from swabs obtained from the palatal mucosa of patients before and 3 days after the application of the tissue conditioner. The reduction in the number of Candida colonies on the palatal mucosa was significant [p<.05]. Treatment of DRS with tissue conditioner was effective against Candida albicans especially in non-compliant patients