The extent of oral fungal flora in 353 students and possible relationships with dental caries.

An epidemiological study was conducted on 353 students to determine the potential relationships between oral saprophytism with Candida albicans and dental status. For each student included, an interview, a dental examination, a mycological investigation and determination of oral pH were conducted. Various factors liable to affect the presence of oral fungus were investigated using the chi(2) test. 58.6% of samples were positive when cultured, with C. albicans in 93.7% of cases. The mean DMF index was 7.6. C. albicans was more frequently isolated in men, smokers, when pH was lower than 7, when dental plaque was abundant and when the time since the teeth had last been brushed was more than 8 h. DMF and F indexes were greater when C. albicans was present but not when it was abundant, while decay was more often present in subjects with abundant C. albicans. Although the specific role of the various factors is difficult to establish, the results suggest that further research to elucidate the possible role of C. albicans in caries aetiology would be valuable.