Oral candidiasis. History, classification, and clinical presentation.

Candida albicans is a ubiquitous, dimorphous yeast; it has been known for many centuries, and has the potential to cause human disease under specific circumstances and conditions. The actual taxonomy of Candida albicans and related species has only been confirmed within the twentieth century. The oral carriage rate for the organism is high, with nearly one half of the healthy population harboring the organism. Numerous predisposing factors for oral candidiasis have been recognized, including metabolic, dietary, mechanical, and iatrogenic factors. Multiple clinical forms of the disease have been described, including acute, chronic, and mucocutaneous presentations. Although rarely fatal in the absence of other serious underlying disease, oral candidiasis may serve as a useful clinical marker for the presence of significant predisposing conditions.