Abstract
Oral
Candida
colonisation is higher in tobacco smokers as compared to non‐smokers; however, it remains unknown whether smokeless tobacco chewers are susceptible to increased oral
Candida
colonisation. The aim was to determine the oral
Candida
carriage and species prevalence amongst habitual
gutka
‐chewers and non‐chewers in a cohort from Karachi, Pakistan. Forty‐five
gutka
‐chewers and 45 non‐chewers were included. Information regarding age, sex, duration of
gutka
‐chewing habit, daily frequency of
gutka
consumption, duration of holding
gutka
in the mouth, daily frequency of tooth‐brushing and tongue brushing was collected using a questionnaire. Oral yeast samples were collected by scraping the dorsum of the tongue and bilateral buccal mucosa with a sterile cotton swab. Identification of yeast species was performed using standard techniques. Tongue lesions were identified and recorded. Unstimulated whole salivary flow rate (UWSFR) was also measured. There was no significant difference in the mean age, UWSFR and oral
Candida
carriage among
gutka
‐chewers and non‐chewers. Individuals were chewing
gutka
since 4·4 years and were consuming five
gutka
sachets daily.
Candida albicans
(
C. albicans
) was the most common yeast species isolated from 57·8%
gutka
‐chewers and 64.4% non‐chewers. In 24.4%
gutka
‐chewers and 22·2% non‐chewers, two
candidal
strains (
C. albicans
and
Candida tropicalis
) were isolated. In conclusion, the present results indicated no significant difference in oral
Candida
carriage in habitual
gutka
‐chewers and non‐chewers.