Yeast Species in the Oral Cavities of Older People: A Comparison between People Living in Their Own Homes and Those in Rest Homes.

Oral candidiasis is prevalent among older people due to predisposing factors such as impaired immune defenses, medications and denture use. An increasing number of older people live in rest home facilities and it is unclear how this institutionalized living affects the quantity and type of fungi colonizing these people's oral cavities. Smears and swabs of the palate and tongue and saliva samples were taken from participants residing in rest homes (RH; = 20) and older people living in their own homes (OH; = 20).