Candida albicans adherence to surface-modified denture resin surfaces.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to investigate two innovative methods in reducing adhesion of Candida albicans to denture base resins through modification of the surface characteristics of denture resin by incorporation of surface charge and application of a self-bonding polymer on denture resins.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three groups were tested [Group 1: control, pure poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA); Group 2: modified PMMA (mPMMA) with 16% methacrylic acid; Group 3: pure PMMA coated with self-bonding polymer (SBP)]. Twenty resin specimens for each group were polymerized, and four experimental subgroups for each surface type were devised, consisting of 2, 4, 6, and 12 days of incubation in C. albicans suspension. The surface area of adherent C. albicans stained with Gram's crystal violet was examined under a light microscope at 400x magnification. Four areas were photographed on each block, one on each quadrant. The images were analyzed using Scion Image 1.63 software to calculate the percent surface area containing adherent C. albicans. Kruskal-Wallis test and Tukey's honest significant difference (HSD) procedure were used to compare the groups.

RESULTS

At day 2, the modified resin had statistically significantly lower levels of Candida than both the control group and the SBP group (p<or= 0.036). Both the mPMMA group and SBP group had statistically significantly lower levels of Candida accumulation at days 4, 6, and 12, compared to the control.

CONCLUSIONS

The amount of C. albicans adhering to the resin surfaces reduced significantly with modification of surface charge and application of self-bonding polymer. Modification of surface characteristics of polymeric biomaterials is an effective method in reducing adhesion of C. albicans to PMMA surfaces.