Genetic-relatedness of peri-implants and buccal Candida albicans isolates determined by RAPD-PCR.

Molecular techniques have been used in recent studies to identify a wide range of potential bacterial pathogens in periimplant pockets of the oral cavity. However, the prevalence and molecular epidemiology of yeasts and species distribution related to periimplantitis are as yet unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of yeasts in periimplant biofilm and to study genetic relatedness of Candida albicans. Yeasts recovered from periimplant biofilm samples (n=89) and buccal samples (n=120) were studied in 40 immunocompetent nonsmoking patients who visited the dental clinic of the Asociación Implantodontológica Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and had received oral rehabilitation with implants for more than five years. Yeasts recovered from samples were studied by typing assays using RAPDPCR. The prevalence of yeasts in the periimplant sulcus was 73% (n=29). C. albicans was the most prevalent species identified in this study population. The RAPD analysis showed identical genotypes in most C. albicans spp. from the two different sampling sites: buccal and periimplant. These findings suggest that periimplant biofilm is an ecological niche that favors the growth of yeast species. Most C. albicans found in periimplant biofilm originate from the endogenous infection caused by commensal strains.