Aim: This study aimed to develop, characterize and analyze the antifungal activity of chlorhexidine:β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes (Chx:βCD). Materials & methods: Chx:βCD were characterized by physicochemical techniques and the susceptibility of nine Candida strains was assessed. The inhibition of Candida albicans biofilm growth was evaluated in a denture material modified with the incorporation of Chx:βCD. Results: Chx was better complexed in 1:2 molar ratio by freeze-drying. Chx:βCD presented antifungal activity against all Candida strains. When incorporated into the denture material, Chx:βCD showed better antifungal activity, as it required about 7.5% of Chx concentration compared with the raw Chx for 14 days. Conclusion: The improved characteristics of Chx:βCD can result in new formulations to treat oral candidiasis and denture stomatitis.
Keywords: Candida; beta-cyclodextrins; chlorhexidine; denture stomatitis; oral candidiasis.
Many people who wear dentures can get a fungal infection called denture stomatitis. Treating this infection is hard because it often comes back. There are many reasons why it can come back, like not following instructions, taking the wrong amount of medicine or having a bad reaction to the drugs. Using old and poorly fitting dentures and the difficulty to maintain the medicine in the right place can also make it harder to get better. One idea to make treatment easier is to add stronger drugs with fewer side effects to the material used to make dentures. That way, patients would only need to wear dentures with the right amount of medicine for a certain time to treat the infection.