Wearing of removable orthodontic appliances has been shown to be associated with increased prevalence and density of oral candidal growth.  The relationship between wearing fixed orthodontic appliance and oral Candida carriage is not clear.  The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of fixed orthodontic appliance therapy on oral candidal carriage and infection.  Oral clinical examination and microbiological sampling were carried on two groups of subjects wearing fixed orthodontic appliances.  The concentrated oral rinse technique was used for oral candidal isolation and Candida species were identified using the germtube test and the yeast identification system API 20C AUX.  In the first group, subjects were sampled immediately before inserting the fixed orthodontic appliance and 2-3 months later.  In the second group, subjects were sampled after 4-36 months of wearing the appliance.  Results showed that in group 1 oral candidal carriage increased from 12% to 36%.  In group 2, oral candidal carriage was 68.7% with a significant increase in frequency and density of candidal isolation.  None of the subjects developed oral candidosis during the study period.  The study demonstrated that fixed orthodontic appliance increases oral candidal carriage and density in a duration-dependent manner.

Saudi Dental Journal 2003;15(3):141-144.