title: Adjunctive use of chlorhexidine in oral candidoses: a review.
abstract: Oral candidosis is by far the commonest human fungal infection and manifests in a variety of clinical guises. The main reason for its high incidence appears to be the multiplicity of predisposing factors, which facilitate the conversion of oral commensal Candida to a parasitic existence. Despite the availability of a number of effective antimycotics for the treatment of oral candidoses, failure of therapy is not uncommon owing to the unique environment of the oral cavity where the flushing effect of saliva and the cleansing action of the oral musculature tend to reduce the drug concentration to sub-therapeutic levels. For these and other reasons chlorhexidine is widely prescribed in dentistry both as an antiseptic mouthwash and a denture disinfectant in order to supplement other antifungals. Chlorhexidine has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity including Candida albicans and other common non-albicans yeast species. In this review we outline the utility of chlorhexidine as an adjunct to conventional antimycotic therapy in the management of oral Candida infections.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR.
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Ellepola
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Samaranayake
mesh_terms: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects; D002180:Candidiasis, Oral / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D014075:Tooth Discoloration / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D002710:Chlorhexidine