Association ofCandidaSpecies Isolated From the Dental Plaque of HIV-infected Children and Prevalence of Early Carious Lesions.
OBJECTIVE
The purposes of this study were to: (1) quantify and identify Candida species (spp.) in the dental plaque of children infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and compare with noninfected children; and (2) determine the association of Candida spp. with the presence of caries.


METHODS
Seventy HIV-infected and 55 non-HIV-infected three- to 12-year-old children were examined to determine caries prevalence. After a visual inspection, supragingival plaque was collected from the cervical region using standard dental curettes. The material was transferred to microtubes and submitted for analysis to identify and quantify the presence of Candida spp.


RESULTS
Candida spp. were more prevalent in the HIV-infected group (72.9 percent) than in the control group (20 percent), and the most prevalent specie was Candida albicans. Caries was found in 72.9 percent of the HIV-infected group and in 58.2 percent of the control group, but a significant difference was only found in the presence of active white spot lesions between the groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The dental plaque of HIV-infected children was colonized by Candida species to a much greater extent than that of non-HIV-infected children, and this colonization was significantly associated with the prevalence of early carious lesions in enamel.
Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Cristiana Aroeira
CA
Rosa Oliveira
Department of Cariology, School of Dentistry, Universidade de Brasilia, Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
Senda
S
Charone
Institute of Microbiology, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Rosangela Maria
RM
de Araújo Soares
Department of Clinics and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Maristela Barbosa
MB
Portela
Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. gfbacastro@yahoo.com.br.
Gloria Fernanda Barbosa
GF
de Aráujo Castro
D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D001938:Brazil; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000382:microbiology; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric