In Vitro Evaluation of Adhesion of Candida Albicans on CAD/CAM PMMA-Based Polymers

Purpose: To compare the amount of adherent Candida albicans to different CAD/CAM poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based polymers and conventional heat-polymerized PMMA after long-term thermal cycling.

Materials And Methods: The specimens were subjected to 10,000 thermal cycles (5-55°C) and divided into two groups, uncoated and pellicle-coated. Surface roughness and contact angles of the specimens were measured. The surface morphology was observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An adhesion test was performed by incubating the disk specimens in C. albicans suspensions at 37°C for 2 hours, and the adherent cells were counted under an optical microscope. The data were analyzed statistically using a variance analysis and Tukey HSD post hoc comparison test. The correlation between measurements was tested using a Pearson correlation analysis (α = 0.05).

Results: CAD/CAM polymers generally showed statistically significant lowest Ra and contact angle values, whereas conventional PMMA showed the highest Ra and contact angle values in the uncoated group (p < 0.05). Pellicle coating essentially increased contact angle of all materials and reduced the differences in a number of Candida cells on the materials (p < 0.05). Candida adhesion was statistically significantly greatest on conventional PMMA when compared to CAD/CAM polymers. A strong positive correlation was found between the surface roughness of the specimens (p < 0.05) and the amount of adhered cells, whereas no correlation was found between hydrophobicity of the specimens and the amount of adhered cells (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: CAD/CAM PMMA-based polymers may be preferable to reduce Candida-associated denture stomatitis in long-term use.