Adhesion of Candida Albicans to digital versus conventional acrylic resins: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMC Oral Health. 2024 Mar 4;24(1):303. doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-04083-2.

Abstract

Background: The present systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the available evidence about the adherence of Candida Albicans to the digitally-fabricated acrylic resins (both milled and 3D-printed) compared to the conventional heat-polymerized acrylic resins.

Methods: This study followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses (PRISMA). A comprehensive search of online databases/search tools (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Ovid, and Google Scholar) was conducted for all relevant studies published up until May 29, 2023. Only in-vitro studies comparing the adherence of Candida albicans to the digital and conventional acrylic resins were included. The quantitative analyses were performed using RevMan v5.3 software.

Results: Fourteen studies were included, 11 of which were meta-analyzed based on Colony Forming Unit (CFU) and Optical Density (OD) outcome measures. The pooled data revealed significantly lower candida colonization on the milled digitally-fabricated compared to the heat-polymerized conventionally-fabricated acrylic resin materials (MD = - 0.36; 95%CI = - 0.69, - 0.03; P = 0.03 and MD = - 0.04; 95%CI = - 0.06, - 0.01; P = 0.0008; as measured by CFU and OD respectively). However, no differences were found in the adhesion of Candida albicans between the 3D-printed digitally-fabricated compared to the heat-polymerized conventionally-fabricated acrylic resin materials (CFU: P = 0.11, and OD: P = 0.20).

Conclusion: The available evidence suggests that candida is less likely to adhere to the milled digitally-fabricated acrylic resins compared to the conventional ones.

Keywords: Acrylic resin; CAD-CAM; Candida Albicans; Digital denture; Prosthodontics.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Acrylic Resins*
  • Candida albicans* / physiology
  • Databases, Factual

Substances

  • Acrylic Resins