The frequency of Candida sp. in biopsies of oral mucosal lesions

Abstract

Candidosis is the most common fungal infection in the oral cavity, and is usually associated with local and systemic predisposing factors. The ocurrence and relevance of Candidal infection in oral lesions such as liquen planus, leukoplakias and carcinomas are still to be understood. The aim of the present study was to define the frequency of infection by Candida sp. on biopsies of oral mucosal lesions and associate its presence with malignant and dysplastic lesions. Histopathology reports issued between 1990 and 2001 inclusive were reviewed. Three sections of each mucosal biopsy were stained using the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) technique. From the 832 biopsies 27.2% were PAS positive, of which 83.25% were obtained from male patients. There was positive association between fungic infection and mild, moderate and severe epithelial dysplasia, squamous cell carcinoma and hiperqueratosis (p < 0.05). There was no association between fungic infection and inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia, hyperkeratosis, lichen planus and pyogenic granuloma (p < 0.05). The frequency of infection in the tongue was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in the other sites. Our results do not show a causal relation between Candida sp. and dysplastic lesions and carcinomas, but do confirm the higher presence of that microrganism in those lesions.