Many factors have been proposed to influence oral infection with yeast. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral yeasts in oral lichen planus (OLP) patients and control subjects, and to perform a multiple logistic regression analysis to identify factors that influence oral Candida infection in OLP patients. In this cross-sectional study, 90 new patients with OLP and 90 sex- and age-matched control subjects with no mucosal lesions were interviewed about their health status, use of medication, and smoking and alcohol habits. Swab and unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected and salivary pH was measured. A positive Candida culture was more prevalent among OLP patients (48.9%) than among control subjects (26.7%). Candida albicans was the most frequently isolated species in both groups. By logistic regression analysis, unstimulated whole salivary flow rates of 0.11-0.24 ml min(-1) (OR = 5.90) and 0.25-0.32 ml min(-1) (OR = 3.51) and benzodiazepine anxiolytics intake (OR = 8.30) were independently associated with the presence of Candida among OLP patients. Age, denture wearing, levels of dentition, decreased salivary pH, antihypertensive drugs, and alcohol consumption were not associated with oral Candida infection in OLP patients. The results indicate that data on benzodiazepine anxiolytics intake and evaluation of unstimulated whole salivary flow rate should be considered as part of the clinical evaluation to identify OLP patients at risk for Candida infection.

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Histological abnormalities of clinically normal-looking oral mucosa taken at different distances from the tumor lesion indicated the existence of subclinical field change and represent an important parameter during the assessment of the adequacy of surgical resection margins in oral cancer management.

Bacground/Aim. Systemic candidiasis in intensive care units remains an improtant problem due to antifungal resistance. Patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer are at increased risk of developing oral candidiasis and they more frequent have prior fungi colonization. Due to identification of specific risk factors predisposing to fungal infection in order to threat such patients the aim of this study was to determine the presence of Candida species in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and compare it to the control subjects (patients with benign oral mucosal lesions). Methods. A total number of 30 consecutive oral cancer examined patients were included in this prospective study (24 men and 6 women with a mean age of 61.47 years, range 41-81 years). The control group consisted of 30 consecutive patients with histologically proven benign oral mucosal lesions (16 men and 14 women with a mean age of 54.53 years, range 16- 83 years). The samples for mycological examination were obtained by using sterile cotton swabs from the cancer lesion surface and in the patients of the control group from the benign mucosal lesion surface. Samples were inoculated in Sabouraud' dextrose agar. For identification purposes, Mackenzie germ tube test was performend on all isolates. Results. The prevalence of Candida was significantly higher in oral cancer patients than in control subjects (χ2 = 5.455, p = 0.020). Candida was found on nine of the 30 cancer surfaces; 5 (16.7%) were identified as non-albicans Candida and 4 (13.3%) as Candida albicans. In the control group, only Candida albicans was isolated from 2 (6.7%) patients. In this study, no statistically significant differences in the presence of Candida species was found with respect to gender, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, wearing of dental protheses and the site of cancer lesion. Conclusion. The increased prevalence of yeasts on the surfaces of oral carcinoma indicates a need for their suppression before any cancer treatment. There was no evidence for an association between gender, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, wearing of dental protheses, the site of cancer lesion and the yeast presence

Prevalence and possible predictors of the occurence of denture stomatitis in patients older than 60 years Prevalencija i mogući prediktori nastanka protetskog stomatitisa kod pacijenata starijih od 60 godina Abstract Background/Aim. Denture stomatitis (DS) is one of the most common oral health problems among elderly population with removable dentures. Despite the high prevalence, etiology of the disease is not completely understood. It appears to be multifactorial, with a predominance of local factors. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors that contribute to the development of DS in upper removable denture wearers. Methods. This clinical study comprised three groups of subjects with upper removable dentures: the DS group, and the positive and negative control groups. Swab samples were taken from the tongue and palatal mucosa for microbiological examination. Data of denture age, dentures night wearing, unstimulated salivary flow rate (US-FR) and saliva pH values were evaluated for all the participants. Results. The prevalence of DS was found to be 26.5%. Significantly higher values of overnight wearing (p = 0.000) and the mean age of dentures (p = 0.022) were found in the DS group compared to the controls. In relation to the positive mycological finding, a borderline significance difference among the groups was confirmed (p = 0.053). No significant association was found between DS and gender, age, the type of dentures, USFR, pH of saliva and bacteria findings. The patients who wore dentures at night had 26 times more chances to get DS compared to the patients who did not wear them overnight. Conclusion. This study confirms similar characteristics of DS prevalence in elderly population of Vojvodina compared to European. Continuous (overnight) wearing of dentures is considered to be major direct risk factor for DS development, while secondary role is attributed to denture age and oral Candida infection. ApstraktUvod/Cilj. Protetski stomatitis (PS) jedno je od najčešćih oboljenja usne duplje kod starijih osoba sa mobilnim protezama. Uprkos velikoj rasprostranjenosti, etiologija oboljenja nije u potpunosti razjašnjena. Ona je verovatno multifaktorijalna, sa predominacijom lokalnih faktora. Cilj rada bio je da se utvrde prevalencija i faktori rizika koji doprinose nastanku PS kod nosilaca gornjih mobilnih proteza. Metode. Studija je obuhvatila tri grupe ispitanika sa gornjim mobilnim protezama: grupu sa PS, te pozitivnu i negativnu kontrolnu grupu. Brisevi jezika i nepca uzeti su za mikrobiološko ispitivanje. Za sve ispitanike utvrđivani su podaci o starosti proteza, noćnom nošenju proteza, sijalometriji i pH vrednosti pljuvačke. Rezultati. Prevalencija PS iznosila je 26,5%. Utvrđena je statistički značajna razlika između grupe sa PS i kontrolnih grupa u odnosu na noćno nošenje proteza (p = 0,000) i prosečne starosti proteza (p = 0,022). Pozitivan mikološki nalaz u granicama statističke značajnosti (p = 0,053) utvrđen je kod pacijenata sa PS. Nije utvrđena značajna povezanost između prot...

Background The aim of this study was to identify predictors of the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in patients with head and neck cancers (HNCs). Material and Methods In total, 345 patients with HNCs were interviewed. A self-report questionnaire was administered to collect data about demographic characteristics, health status, smoking, alcohol consumption habits, and HRQoL. It were used the EORTC Instruments - Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30-questions (QLQ-C30), Quality of Life Questionnaire - Head and Neck Module 35-questions (QLQ-H&N 35) and OHIP-14 instrument for HRQoL assessments. Clinical information and treatment data were collected from medical records. Results Five groups of HRQoL predictors were identified: demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, psychophysical, and clinical/treatment. These HRQoL predictors had a strong (i.e., age, level of social support and social contact, level of education, depression, fatigue, presence of gastrostomy, comorbidities, and use of pain medications and supplements), a moderate (i.e., marital status, smoking, sexuality problems, time since diagnosis, presence of tracheostomy, and side effects outcomes of radio and chemotherapy) and a small impact (i.e., employment/financial difficulties, tumor site and stage, and surgical procedure). Conclusions Study identified nineteen predictors that had significant, moderate and small impact on the HRQoL of patients with HNCs. Some of the predictors, like levels of social support and social contact, depression, and comorbidities could be targets for innervations to improve HRQoL. Key words: Quality of Life, oral health, combined modality therapy, treatment outcome.

Background The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) was designed to assess patients’ perception of the impact of oral disorders on their quality of life (QoL). Although the OHIP-14 is now frequently used in patients with head and neck cancer, data related to its measurement properties in this population are scarce. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the OHIP-14 in a sample of Serbian patients with head and neck cancer. Material and Methods Data were available for 345 patients (257 [74.5%] males; aged 30-92 years), with head and neck cancer. All patients completed the OHIP-14 and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35. Factor analyses, internal consistency reliability (i.e., Cronbach’s α coefficient), and construct validity were analyzed. Results The factor analyses confirmed that 14 OHIP items were measuring a single underlying factor. Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.98 and corrected item-total correlations ranged 0.77-0.93. Lower OHIP-14 scores (i.e., lower impacts on oral health) were more frequently present among patients who had only surgery as a therapeutic procedure compared to those who had surgery accompanied with radio- and chemotherapy ( p < 0.01). Patients with a tumor stage 0-II also had lower OHIP-14 scores compared to those who had a tumor stage III-IV ( p < 0.01). The OHIP-14 correlated significantly with the QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35 scales. Conclusions As a unidimensional instrument, the OHIP-14 provides oral QoL assessments with sound internal consistency reliability and construct validity among patients with head and neck cancer. Key words: Quality of life, oral health, psychometrics, reliability, validity.

Background:The aim of the study was to determine the microbial presence and type in the biofilms present on the surface of oral squamous cell carcinomas and benign lesions of oral mucosa.Methods: Thirty new (untreated) patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma were examined. The control group consisted of thirty subjects with benign lesions of oral mucosa. Swab samples were taken from the superficial layer of the carcinoma and benign lesions for bacteriological examination. Swabs were transported within 2 hours and immediately sown and incubated. Oral health index was assessed in all patients. Results:The prevalence of pathological bacterial microflora was significantly higher in cancer patients (p<0.01). No significant associations were found between bacterial presence and gender, localization, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and denture wearing (p>0.05). Poor oral hygiene was also registered in cancer patients. Conclusion:Possibility of microflora retention on irregular oral carcinoma surface possibly contributes to chronic inflammation often observed on the surface of oral carcinomas.