Denture Stomatitis
Symptoms
- Erythema of palate with cobblestoning of mucosa
- Often asymptomatic
Etiology
- Complex and multifactorial, but Candida plays a major role
- Most prominent risk factor is continuous denture wearing
- Other risk factors include:
- Xerostomia
- Diabetes or immunosuppresion
- Nutritional deficiencies
Denture Stomatitis
Robert Henry, DMD, MPH
Treatment
- Treat mouth with topical antifungals for two weeks.
- Soak dentures in chlorhexidine or nystatin
- Dentures should be out of the mouth for at least eight hours each night.
- Caution:Â Chlorhexidine may stain teeth yellow to brown, alter taste temporarily, increase deposition of calculus (tartar), and the taste may be unpalatable.
References
Mohammad, A.R. Geriatric Dentistry: A clinical guidebook. College of Dentistry, The Ohio State University. 2001.
MacDonald, D.E. Principles of Geriatric Dentistry and their Application to the Older Adult with Physical Disability, Clinics of Geriatric Medicine 2006; 22:413-434.