Oral mucosal avaliation through clinical and cytopathological exams to identify candidiasis

Abstract

Objective: this study aimed to evaluate individuals with lesions that have been clinically diagnosed as oral candidiasis but have not been confirmed by cytopathological exam. In addition, individuals with oral exam not indicative of candidiasis but with positive cytopathology for candidiasis were also evaluated. Material and method:the demographic and clinical profiles of the sample were described to determine whether there was a correlation between clinical exam indicative of candidiasis and the cytopathological exam results. A total of 99 participants were selected and all of them underwent anamnesis, intraoral exam, and photographic documentation. Scrap were collected for cytological evaluation. Results: of the 99 individuals analyzed, 78 (78.8%) were female and 45 (45.5%) were white. The mean age was 62.7 years. Cytopathological results confirmed candidiasis in 43 of the 61 individuals (70.5%) in the group clinically diagnosed with candidiasis and in 10 of the 38 individuals (28.9%) in the group clinically not diagnosed with candidiasis. Candidiasis was not identified in the cytopathological exam of 18 of the 61 individuals (29.5%) in the group clinically diagnosed with candidiasis and in 28 of the 38 individuals (71.1%) in the group clinically not diagnosed with candidiasis. Conclusion: in most cases, there was an agreement between the clinical and cytopathological exams; however, the discordant results demonstrated the importance of the cytopathological exam in the identification or not of candidiasis