CANDIDA ALBICANS: CAN IT BE A PERIODONTAL PATHOGEN?

Background: The term periodontitis encompass several polymicrobial infectious diseases of multifactorial etiology, with chronic and aggressive forms. In spite of the etiopathogenic differences between these two forms of the disease, few studies have analyzed the subgingival colonization by yeast. It is currently unclear if yeasts participate in the etiology of this disease and if they show specificity for either the chronic or aggressive forms. Aim and Objectives: To explore and quantify the presence of Candida albicans in Chronic Periodontitis (CP), Aggressive Periodontitis (AP) and Periodontally Healthy Patients (PH). Materials and Method: A total of 30 patients were included in this study, Group A:10 patients with Chronic Periodontitis, Group B:10 patients with Aggressive Periodontitis, Group C:10 patients with Periodontal Healthy Patients. The samples were collected from gingival sulcus using Universal Curette before Scaling and Root Planing (SRP) from three groups and sent to lab for investigation to identify Candida albicans by using rt-PCR. Results: The number of candida albicans were more in CP followed by AP compared to PH Patients. Conclusion: It was concluded that candida albicans were associated with CP and AP as compared to PH patients favouring further progression of periodontal disease with high occurrence of deep pockets.