title: Prevalence of chronic hyperplasic candidiasis. Its association to risk factors in an Oral Medicine Service in Rosario, Argentina.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic hyperplasic candidiasis (CHC) is one of clinical forms of infection caused by fungi from genus Candida, basically Candida albicans, and less frequently by other species of the genus, such as Candida tropicalis, Candida guilliermondii, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis, Candida dubliniensis y Candida krusei.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this work were to evaluate CHC prevalence in the oral mucosa of individuals who attended the Oral Medicine Service-School of Dentistry at the National University of Rosario, Argentina during the last 5 years; and to study the significance of association of this clinical form to other risk factors for dysplastic changes in the oral mucosa.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study of patients (2785) attending the Oral Medicine Service were conducted. Study included all cases of candidiasis diagnosed and confirmed by mycological and histopathological studies. Analyzed samples indicated that 123 (4.41%) out of 2785 patients (mean age 56.10, SD 18.69) showed candidiasis in its different clinical forms. Nineteen (15.41%) out of those 123 inidividuals manifested CHC, mean age 56.08 (SD 16.76). Twelve out of 19 patients used dental prostheses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was indicated that 68.42% of patients with CHC were smokers while this number was lower (34.23%) for those individuals displaying other clinical forms of candidiasis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A statiscally significant correlation between CHC and dysplastic epithelial changes was determined. Study of the virulence factors in pathogenic species of the genus Candida, which allow for either hyperplasic or dysplastic changes or eventual malignant transformations is currently being explored in numerous papers. The characteristics of the parasite-host interaction are also being examined.
authors.affiliation: CEREMIC (The Mycology Reference Center, Rosario), School of Biochemistry and Pharmacy, National University of Rosario-Argentina: Suipacha 531, 2000 Rosario, Argentina. clopez@fbioyf.unr.edu.ar
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bulacio
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Espejo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pairoba
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Escovich
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D002180:Candidiasis, Oral / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019242:Oral Medicine; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult