Investigation of Oral Cavity Mycobiome and Factors Related to Public Health in Northwestern Iran, Ardabil in 2023

Background: the mycobiome, or the population of the fungal flora of the oral cavity, is one of the most complex and diverse microbial communities in the human body. the purpose of this study was to investigate the mycobiome of the oral cavity and factors related to general health in students who referred to the dental clinic of ardabil university of medical sciences in 2023.methods: first, all the study participants completed a questionnaire. samples from the oral cavity of the participants were collected by moist sterile swabs from the buccal and tongue areas. first, candida isolates were examined for macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, such as colony color on chrome agar medium, blastoconidia formation, and germ tubes. in addition, carbohydrate absorption and fermentation tests, as well as nitrate and urease absorption tests, were performed on these isolates.results: among individuals participating in the study, 48 (48%) had a positive buccal culture, and 61 (61%) had a positive tongue culture. overall, 58 (29%), 10 (5%), 16 (8%), 7 (3.5%), 9 (4.5%), and 9 (4.5%) samples of candida albicans, candida krusei, candida glabrata, candida dublinensis, candida parapsilosis, and candida tropicalis were isolated from the culture of buccal and tongue specimens.conclusion: the findings demonstrated that the pattern of the fungal population in the oral flora is directly related to lifestyle and diet, use of non-antibiotic drugs, and smoking. moreover, it can lead to tooth decay and mucosal infections in people with underlying diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, rheumatological diseases, and heart disease.