Carboxylic acids and pH of denture plaque in patients with denture stomatitis

Abstract

Denture stomatitis (DS) is the commonest form of oral Candida infection. Although it has been suggested that the acidic conditions prevailing beneath maxillary dentures may potentiate palatal inflammation associated with DS, little is known about the pH and carboxylic acids of denture plaque in subjects with and without the disease. Therefore, qualitative and quantitative analyses of short‐chain carboxylic acids and pH of maxillary denture plaque of ten patients and nine controls were performed. Gram‐stained smears of plaque revealed numerous yeasts in the DS plaque while yeasts were absent in control plaque. Acetate, lactate, propionate, succinate, formate and pyruvate were present in descending order of concentration in all plaque samples. DS plaque was more acidic and contained significantly lower concentrations of lactate ions than control plaque. These results imply that the carboxylic acids produced by the microflora of denture plaque may be aetiologically involved in the pathogenesis of denture stomatitis.