Efficacy of denture cleansers against Candida albicans

The antimicrobial effects of commercial and household cleansers have not been compared in the studies conducted in the past.Hence we evaluated the efficacy of commercial and household denture cleansers against C albicans adherent to acrylic denture base resin. Fifty specimens of acrylic denture base resin were fabricated and processed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.Sterile acrylic resin specimens were inoculated by immersing in Sabouraud broth containing C albicans for 16 hrs at 37°C.Then the specimens were washed and immersed in denture cleansers and water for 8 hrs at room temperature.After 8 hrs the acrylic resin specimens were washed,fixed with methanol&stained with crystal violet.Candida cells adherent to the acrylic resin specimens were counted under microscope.The number of cells adherent to the test samples were compared with that adherent to the control.The data were analyzed.The effectiveness of commercial denture cleansers was significant better than that of household denture cleansers.This study would be of help to professionals who deal with geriatric patients with dentures & to patients with less manual dexterity limiting their ability to clean dentures.