Aim:
Periodontal pockets can be colonized not only by bacteria, but also by
Candida albicans
. However, its role
in periodontitis is unknown. This study evaluated the inhibitory performance of chlorhexidine digluconate under
normoxic and anoxic conditions against 16 strains of
C. albicans from periodontal pockets and other 20 from the
oral mucosa.
Methods:
Strains were grown in normoxia and anoxia to adapt themselves to the different atmospheric
conditions. Microdilution-based assays were carried out to determine the minimum concentrations of
chlorhexidine that may restrain the conditioned candidal strains, in normoxia (normoxic MIC) and anoxia (anoxic
MIC). The Mann-Whitney U test was used to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of chlorhexidine on
C. albicans
under normoxic and anoxic conditions (α = 0.05).
Results:
The normoxic MIC of chlorhexidine varied broadly
from 150 to 1200 μg/mL, whereas its anoxic MIC varied narrower from 2.34 to 37.5 μg/mL. Regarding the origins
of strains, no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were found.
Conclusions:
These results indicate that
anoxic environmental conditions, compatible with periodontal pockets, tend to enhance
C. albicans susceptibility
to chlorhexidine.
