title: Relationship between salivary flow rates and Candida counts in subjects with xerostomia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated the relationship between salivary flow and Candida colony counts in the saliva of patients with xerostomia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sialometry and Candida colony-forming unit (CFU) counts were taken from 112 subjects who reported xerostomia in a questionnaire. Chewing-stimulated whole saliva was collected and streaked in Candida plates and counted in 72 hours. Species identification was accomplished under standard methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant inverse relationship between salivary flow and Candida CFU counts (P =.007) when subjects with high colony counts were analyzed (cutoff point of 400 or greater CFU/mL). In addition, the median sialometry of men was significantly greater than that of women (P =.003), even after controlling for confounding variables like underlying disease and medications. Sjögren's syndrome was associated with low salivary flow rate (P =.007). There was no relationship between the median Candida CFU counts and gender or age. There was a high frequency (28%) of mixed colonization. Candida albicans was the most frequent species, followed by C parapsilosis, C tropicalis, and C krusei.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In subjects with high Candida CFU counts there was an inverse relationship between salivary flow and Candida CFU counts.
authors.affiliation: Depatment of Oral Pathology and oral Diagnostic, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. s-torres@ig.com.br
authors.forename: Sandra R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Camila Bernardo
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Peixoto
authors.forename: Daniele Manhães
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Caldas
authors.forename: Eline Barboza
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Tiyomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akiti
authors.forename: Márcio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nucci
authors.forename: Milton
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Uzeda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002175:Candida / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D012636:Secretory Rate; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000382:microbiology*