title: Development of a contemporary animal model of Candida albicans-associated denture stomatitis using a novel intraoral denture system.
abstract: Denture stomatitis (DS) is a fungal infection characterized by inflammation of the oral mucosa in direct contact with the denture and affects up to 50% of denture wearers. Despite the prevalence, very little is known about the role of fungal or host factors that contribute to pathogenesis. Recently, we developed a novel intraoral denture system for rodent research. This denture system consists of custom-fitted fixed and removable parts to allow repeated sampling and longitudinal studies. The purpose of this study was to use this denture system to develop a clinically relevant animal model of DS. To establish DS, rats were inoculated with pelleted Candida albicans, which resulted in sustained colonization of the denture and palate for 8 weeks postinoculation. Biofilm formation on the denture was observed by week 4 and on the palate by week 6 postinoculation. Rats were monitored for clinical signs of disease by assigning a clinical score after macroscopic examination of the palate tissue according to Newton's method. By week 4 postinoculation, the majority of inoculated rats with dentures exhibited a clinical score of 1 (pinpoint erythema). By week 6 and week 8 postinoculation, increasing percentages of rats exhibited a clinical score of 2 (diffuse erythema/edema). Histological analysis of palate tissue demonstrated progressively increasing inflammatory cell recruitment throughout the time course of the infection. Palatal biofilm formation was commensurate with development of palatal erythema, which suggests a role for biofilm in the inflammatory response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Craniofacial Biology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: Clorinda C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Alika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Heeje
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Fidel
authors.forename: Mairi C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Noverr
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018441:Biofilms; D002176:Candida albicans; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000382:microbiology*; D003778:Dentures / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000382:microbiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010159:Palate / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012463:Saliva; D013282:Stomatitis, Denture / Q000382:microbiology*