Relationship between nitrate/nitrite concentration in saliva and oral candidosis

Abstract

It has previously been claimed that nitrite protects against infections caused by Candida albicans. Nitrate and nitrite are natural constituents of saliva. The aim of the present study was to investigate if patients with oral candidosis have amounts of nitrate and nitrite in their saliva that differ from those of control persons. The study comprised 17 women and 7 men who were allotted to two experimental groups with yeast infection and two control groups with no clinical signs of candidosis. Within both the experimental and the control group one group consisted of dentates, and one group was made up of denture-wearers. In total there were four groups with six patients in each. All participants were examined for oral yeasts by cultivation on a selective medium (CHROMagar Candida) and Gram stain. The isolates were identified after automated reading of ID32C-inoculated test kits (bioMérieux). Four of the participants suffered or had previously suffered from oral cancer. In denture wearers there was no difference in the amount of nitrate and nitrite in patients with yeast infections compared to controls. However, in dentate patients there was a significantly higher amount of both nitrate and nitrite in the saliva compared with controls. Therefore, high levels of nitrate and nitrite may not consistently protect against infections with C. albicans. © 2005 Taylor & Francis.