Abstract
Yeasts can be members of the commensal flora in the healthy human mouth. They have also been found in periodontal pockets of patients with marginal periodontitis, but little is known about their distribution in other oral sites of such patients. The aim of the present study was to examine the distribution of genera, species and biotypes of yeasts in various sites of oral cavities of patients with chronic marginal periodontitis. Samples were taken from the periodontal pockets, buccal mucosa and palate of 70 marginal periodontitis patients and 45 healthy individuals. After cultivation yeast colonies were selected according to morphology and the biotype was determined by a commercial kit (ID 32C, bioMérieux, France). Oral yeasts were detected in 34.3% of the marginal periodontitis patients and 42.2% of the healthy subjects. Among the sites examined, the buccal mucosa was the major site for yeasts, being colonized in 31.4% of the marginal periodontitis patients and in 35.6% of the healthy subjects. Two genera (Candida and Saccharomyces), four species (C. albicans, C. dubliniensis, C. parapsilosis and S. cerevisiae) and 19 biotypes were identified from the marginal periodontitis patients, while one genus (Candida), two species (C. albicans and C. dubliniensis) and 11 biotypes were obtained from the healthy subjects. C. albicans was the most dominant species in all the oral sites. Among the other Candida species, C. dubliniensis dominated, being most prominent in the periodontal pockets. Two biotypes (7146340015 and 7347340015) of C. albicans and one biotype (7142100015) of C. dubliniensis were predominant in the marginal periodontitis patients, whereas three biotypes (7146340015, 7147340015 and 7347340015) of C. albicans dominated in the healthy subjects. The differences in the distribution of yeast species and biotypes may suggest cell, tissue or site tropism in oral yeast colonization.