Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare the candida adherence to injection molding acrylic resin, the poly ether ether ketone (PEEK) material and to the conventional acrylic resin.
Materials and methods: The study was conducted in-vitro and in-vivo including 3 groups, conventional acrylic resin group, injection molding acrylic resin and the PEEK groups. The in-vitro study included 60 discs (10×10×2 mm), 20 discs for each group, Candida albicans ATCC-10231was cultured and Candida adherence was evaluated by colony count method. The in-vivo study included 30 participants with maxillary partial dentures, 10 participants for each group, wearing their dentures for at least 3 months. The swabs were obtained from denture fitting surfaces and cultured to investigate Candida adherence by colony count method.
Results: Both in-vitro and in-vivo results showed the highest Candida adherence in case of conventional acrylic resin material (330±35×108 cfu) in-vitro and (287.53 ±68.53 square root / cfu) in-vivo. It was significantly decreased in case of injection molding resin (226±15 ×108 cfu) in-vitro and (221.89 ±44.31 square root/cfu) in-vivo, while PEEK showed no Candida adherence in-vitro and in-vivo.
Conclusions: PEEK material has been shown to be bio-inert, and when combined with injection moulding resin, it provides a more biocompatible alternative to acrylic resin.