The Effect of Dentures’ Overnight Soaking in Distilled Water: A Mycological Pilot Study

Abstract

Introduction: In order to keep their dentures clean and properly stored, patients generally soak them in water at night. Candida albicans is a commensal yeast fungus that colonizes dentures, and in some conditions, it becomes an opportunistic pathogen and causes fungal infections known as candidiasis. Objective: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effect of distilled water on Candida albicans colonizing dentures. Materials and Methods: Twenty patients (9 men, 11 women; age range 40-75 years) with complete maxillary dentures infected by Candida albicans were included in this study. The dentures of these patients were soaked in distilled water for 4 days (8 hours at night). Swab samples from the dentures were collected before and after distilled water use and examined mycologically. Results: The Candida albicans colony counts increased after soaking the dentures in distilled water for 8 hours for 4 days. Conclusion: Patients should be dissuaded from soaking their dentures overnight in distilled water as the result is a significant increase in fungal colonization.