Oral Prevalence of Candida in Adolescents on Removable Orthodontic Appliance Therapy at Dental Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka – A Pilot Study

Orthodontic appliances provide a favourable niche for biofilm formation, compromising oral hygiene practices. Numerous studies reported the effects of fixed orthodontic appliance therapy on Candida carriage. This study aimed to assess oral carriage of Candida species in a group of Sri Lankan adolescents wearing Removable Orthodontic Appliances (ROAs). Thirty adolescents aged between 10-16 years wearing ROAs (provided at the Orthodontic clinic, Dental Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka) and thirty healthy adolescents not undergoing any orthodontic treatment (same age group), were included as test and control groups. Oral rinses from each individual were collected and cultured on CHROMagar for 48 hours. Resultant colonies were counted, and species level identification of Candida was done according to the colour of the colonies on CHROMagar and Candida albicans was confirmed with a germ tube test. Candida growth was detected in 50% oral rinses collected from adolescents wearing ROAs and 30% oral rinses collected from non-ROA wearers. There was no statistically significant difference in Candida isolation between the two groups (p = 0.114). The most frequently isolated Candida species from both groups was Candida albicans (66.7% in the test group and 77.8% in the control group). ROA therapy had no significant effect on oral Candida colonisation in this sample. Regardless of the appliance wear, C. albicans was the most frequently isolated Candida species.