EVALUATION OF CANDIDA SPP. ADHERENCE TO 3D-PRINTED AND HEAT-CURED PMMA RESIN DENTURES

Introduction: Despite the progress of additive manufacturing, there are different opinions regarding microbial adhesion on the surface of 3D printed dentures and the biocompatiability of the materials. The purpose of this in-vivo study was to determine the presence of Candida species in the saliva, oral mucosa and on dentures of patients wearing heat-cured polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and 3D-printed prosthetic appliances after a three-month period of observation. Materials and methods: The clinical study included 40 edentulous patients, divided into two groups - first group (A) –wearing conventional dentures and second group (B) – wearing 3D printed dentures. It was used chrom agar Candida (Bio Merieux) for identification and quantity assessment of the presence of Candida spp. and spectrophotometric analysis using VITEK MS (Bio Merieux). Results: After three months of wearing the dentures, Candida spp was not isolated in the saliva in 60% of patients in group A and 70% of group B, with no statistically significant difference between the results before the treatment and after the third month. In the third month, Candida spp was isolated from the oral mucosa of 20% of group A and in group B – 10%, with no significant difference between the groups (p<0.05). No Candida spp was isolated from 90% of denture surfaces in both groups. Conclusion: The adhesion of Candida spp. to 3D printed dentures is not higher than conventional dentures made from heat-curing resin. Also, there is no difference between the amount of Candida spp. in the saliva, oral mucosa and denture surfaces.