Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Sep 26, 2024; 12(27): 6077-6086
Published online Sep 26, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i27.6077
Oral candidiasis and potential risk factors among disabled and non-disabled in Al-Baha region, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Ali H Alzahrani, Nagesh Bhat, Pankaj Kukreja, Eltayeb Mohammed Alhassan, Abdallah Ibrahim A Mudawi, Faisal A Alzahrani, Mohammad A Albanghali
Abdullah Ali H Alzahrani, Eltayeb Mohammed Alhassan, Abdallah Ibrahim A Mudawi, Department of Dental Health, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University, Al Bahah 65731, Saudi Arabia
Nagesh Bhat, Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, AlBaha University, Al Bahah 65731, Saudi Arabia
Pankaj Kukreja, Department of Biomedical Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, AlBaha University, Al Bahah 65731, Saudi Arabia
Faisal A Alzahrani, Department of Medical Services General Administration, Public Security, The Saudi Ministry of Interior, Riyadh 11235, Saudi Arabia
Mohammad A Albanghali, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University, Al Bahah 65731, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: Alzahrani AAH conceptualized the study, supervised the project, and funded acquisition; Alzahrani AAH, Bhat N, Albanghali MA, Kukreja P, Alzahrani AA, Alhassan EM, and Mudawi AIA designed the methodology, collected data, and preformed the research; Alzahrani AAH, Bhat N, and Albanghali MA did software, validation, investigation, and formal analysis of the data; Alzahrani AAH and Bhat N wrote the manuscript and prepared the original draft; All authors have reviewed, edited, read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Supported by the King Salman Center for Disability Research, No. KSRG-2023-169.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Deanship of Innovation and Scientific Research in Al-Baha University, Saudi Arabia (Approval No. 1445-45103810); and the Institutional Review Board of the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (Approval No. 1444-305040).
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Abdullah Ali H Alzahrani, BSc, MSc, PhD, Associate Professor, Dean, Department of Dental Health, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University, University City Main Road, Al Bahah 65731, Saudi Arabia. aahalzahrani@bu.edu.sa
Received: May 27, 2024
Revised: June 23, 2024
Accepted: July 15, 2024
Published online: September 26, 2024
Processing time: 62 Days and 22.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Oral candidiasis (OC) is an oral health disease that could influence patients’ oral health quality of life.

AIM

To estimate prevalence of OC among disabled and non-disabled individuals and its potential risk factors in the Al-Baha region, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

An observational cross-sectional study was carried out among 148 disabled and non-disabled participants. The technique of concentrated oral rinse employing the Sabouraud Dextrose Agar medium accompanied with 0.05% chloramphenicol was conducted to assess and isolate candida. Oral examination using the World Health Organization guidelines was conducted to examine participants’ oral health status. A pre-designed questionnaire was also used to evaluate sociodemographic, medical history, and oral hygiene habits of the studied population.

RESULTS

Out of 148 participants (n = 57, 38%) had colonized candida. None of the studied population had visible Candida lesions. However, Candida was found in the oral rinses without the subject presenting any lesions or issues caused by Candida (asymptomatic colonization). The most common prevalent OC among participants were Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida dubliniensis, Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis, and Candida parapsilosis (n = 35, 61%; n = 8, 14%; n = 6, 10%; n = 5, 9%; n = 2, 4%; and n = 1, 2%) respectively. Diabetes, smoking, poor plaque, and gingival status were key potential risk factors that significantly associated with candida’s density and presence (P = 0.001, P = 0.001, P = 0.01, and P = 0.01) respectively. Disability status had no statistically significant effect on presence and density of Candida.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of OC is almost third of the studied population; thus, may provoke a need to develop preventive strategies to reduce the OC rate and establish solid treatment plans.

Keywords: Oral health, Candida, Oral candidiasis, Dental public health, Disabled, Disability, Risk factors, Epidemiology

Core Tip: Diabetes, smoking, poor plaque, and gingival status were key potential risk factors that are significantly associated with candida’s density and presence. A third of the population had candida; which may highlight a need for targeted preventive strategies to reduce the candida rate including instructing patients to visit dentists regularly, brushing teeth twice daily, maintaining healthy immunity status, and controlling sugar in the blood if the patient is diabetic.