Vinegar as a Removing Agent of Candida albicans From Acrylic Resin Plates

Background: Adherence of Candida species, mainly C. albicans to denture surfaces, forms a biofilm which causes denture stomatitis in denture users. Removal of Candida plaque on dentures is essential to control the colonization of this yeast and to prevent infections related to C. albicans. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of sodium hypochlorite with white vinegar for the disinfection of C. albicans from acrylic resin. Materials and Methods: 82, 10×10×1 mm acrylic resin plates were inoculated with 1×103 C. albicans suspension for 24 hours to prepare experimental Candida biofilm. The total num- ber of Candida cells which adhered to 10 acryl resin plates was determined and the remaining 72 plates were randomly divided into four groups. The test plates were immersed in a solution of 1% sodium hypochlorite, 5% or 10%white vinegar for a period of 8 hours and distilled water was used as the negative control group. The Candida removing ability of the 3 disinfectants and the negative control group was assessed by comparing the number of colony forming units per 1 mL of the plates washing solution before and after the remov- ing protocol. Data was analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: Sodium hypochlorite (1%) and white vinegar (10%) removed 100% of the C. albicans cells, followed by white vinegar (5%), which removed 99% of the adhered C. albicans from the acrylic resin plates. There wasn’t any significant statistical difference found between the 5% and 10% white vinegar in removing Candida from the acryl resin plates (P = 0.161). Conclusions: Overnight immersion of complete removable dentures in 10% or even a 5% white vinegar solution effectively removed C. albicans cells that had adhered to the denture surface and their removal properties the same as 1% sodium hypochlorite.