The rate of appearance intraoral pain and discomfort caused byCandida

Abstract

Patients sometimes complain of pains and/or discomfort in the tongue or oral mucosa, even though they are diagnosed to have no abnormalities at dental and prosthetic examinations and maintain good health. It is extremely difficult to identify the exact cause of pain in these patients, who have only the complaint of subjective symptoms, without any symptoms such as rubber or swelling. Such pains and discomfort might beCandida. However, reports of the rate of appearance were rare.

In the present study, we examined patients with primary complaints of intraoral pain and discomfort thought to be caused byCandida at their first visit to our clinic during the period between March and June 1994, out of 173 geriatric patients. The age of 173 patients was ranging from 65 to 91 years of age with an average of 75 years of age.

Among 173 patients, there were 13 patients (7.5%) with a primary complaint of pain in oral mucosa, and the pain of 9 patients (5.2%) out of these 13 were diagnosed to be caused byCandida. In these 9 patients, 7 (4.0%) had objective symptoms, but 2 (1.2%) did not. Their primary complaint was improved by treatment with an antifungal agent.