In- vitro Study of the Effect of Clotrimazole Incorporation into Silicone Soft Liner on Fungal Colonization

Statement of problem: candidal colonization on soft liners is important in thedevelopment of pathogenesis, such as denture stomatitis. it has heen reported thatcombining anti-fungal agents into soft liners might be used in treatment andprevention of denture stomatitis.purpose: the aim of this in-vitro study was to determine whether incorporatingclotrimazole (c) into the silicone soft liner (s), would inhibit the growth of c.albicans when the specimens are stored in distilled water and washed daily withwet cotton.methods and materials: experimental specimen disks incorporated withclotrimazole (sc1, sc30, sc60) and without clotrimazole (s1, s30, s60) into the softliner (no=8) were fabricated aseptically against the polyester film to produce asmooth surface. the treated and control disks were stored in distilled water for 1,30 and 60 days and washed daily with wet cotton. for fungal growth assessment,they were inoculated with c.albicans suspension. the disks were rinsed andsonicated in sterile water to remove surface organisms. the attached yeast wasmeasured by inoculation of the yeast suspension on sabouraud's agar. the datawere compared using two-way anova.results: the mean colony forming units (cfu) per mm2 for the specimenswithout clotrimazole after water storage and washing with wet cotton for 1, 30 and60 days was 6.5î106, 5.8î106 and 6.1î106, respectively. cfu for specimenswith clotrimazole decreased significantly to 2.6î106 and 3.9î106 and 4.6î106after 1, 30, and 60 days, respectively. in comparison to those of the control disks,clotrimazole in treated disks was effective in inhibiting c.albicans growthsignificantly following storage in water for 2 months (p<0.05).conclusion: the addition of clotrimazole significantly reduced c.albicansgrowth to the surface of the silicone soft liner. the samples continued to inhibitthe fungal growth when they were washed daily with wet cotton for 2 months.