Evaluation of the levels of oral Candida in patients with Sjögren's syndrome

Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of oral Candida in patients with Sjögren's syndrome. Methods. The Candida count and salivary flow rate of patients with Sjögren's syndrome were compared with those of healthy control subjects. Candida cultures were obtained from oral rinses. The numbers of colony-forming units were determined through use of the Spiral System. Results. The mean Candida count of patients with Sjögren's syndrome was 1672 ± 1455 colony-forming units per mL; the count of healthy control subjects was 0.00 colony-forming units per mL. The mean salivary flow rate of patients with Sjögren's syndrome was significantly lower than that of healthy control subjects (0.16 ± 0.13 mL/min/gland vs 0.55 ± 0.24 mL/min/gland, respectively; p = 0.0001). However, Spearman rank correlation analyses did not reveal a significant correlation between salivary flow rate and Candida count (in colony-forming units per mL) among patients with Sjögren's syndrome. Conclusions. Alteration in the oral microbial flora in patients with Sjögren's syndrome may be enhanced by the reduction in salivary output.