ORAL CANDIDAL CARRIAGE IN SUBGINGIVAL SITES AND ITS SUBSPECIES IDENTIFICATION IN DIABETIC AND NON-DIABETIC PATIENTS WITH PERIODONTITIS

Candida is the most common fungal pathogen of oral cavity in humans. It exists as a commensal inhabitant of mucosal surfaces in most healthy individuals. Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the periodontium with multifactorial etiology. There is a positive relationship between periodontal inflammation and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia due to defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Diabetes mellitus can impair the function of polymorphonuclear leukocytes which may predispose diabetic patients to greater risk of diseases including periodontal disease and oral candidal infections. The objective of this study is to evaluate the oral candidal carriage in the subgingival sites and also to evaluate the predominant candidal subtypes in non-diabetic individuals with periodontitis, diabetic individuals with periodontitis and healthy individuals without periodontitis