Clinical Study of Candida Culture Test in Outpatients With Halitosis

Purpose: To examine the effects of Candida on halitosis, the carrier state of Candida was examined in patients who made a visit with a chief complaint of halitosis.

Methods: Subjects were 123 patients (42 males and 81 females) who visited the Center for Oral Diseases, Fukuoka Dental College with a chief complaint of halitosis. Their average age was 45.8 years. To examine halitosis, an organoleptic test was conducted, and volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs: hydrogen sulfide, dimethyl sulfide, and methyl mercaptan) were measured by gas chromatography. Tongue-coating samples collected at the initial visit were cultured in CHROMagar Candida agar medium. The results of a Candida culture test, an organoleptic test of halitosis, and VSCs measurements by gas chromatography were examined. Statistical processing was conducted with χ² and unpaired t-tests.

Results: The male-to-female ratio of the patients was about 1:2. Patients with severe halitosis accounted for less than 20%. In the Candida culture test, the positive rate was about 25.2%, and C. albicans was the most frequently detected. Of the 31 positive cases, 23 cases were positive (1-100 colonies), while 8 cases were strongly positive (101 or more colonies) The VSCs measurements were correlated with the Candida culture test results. The methyl mercaptan concentration was significantly higher in the strongly positive group than in the other groups.

Conclusion: Candida is involved in the production of methyl mercaptan, although whether or not it directly generates methyl mercaptan is unknown.