著者

木村 陽介 山本 共夫 草塩 英治 前田 伸子

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF ORAL THERAPEUTICS AND PHARMACOLOGY

雑誌

歯科薬物療法 (ISSN:02881012)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.36, no.1, pp.9-14, 2017 (Released:2017-04-20)

参考文献数

18

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Changes in the amount and physical properties of dental plaques were investigated in the oral cavity in which the oral fungal population was maintained at a low level by the long-term use of an antifungal agent as a mouthwash. For the antifungal agent used as a mouthwash, amphotericin B (AMPH-B), which specifically acts on fungi without influencing bacteria and is unlikely to be absorbed from the oral cavity or gastrointestinal mucosa, was selected. For the index of the fungal level in the oral cavity, Candida indigenous to the oral cavity was selected. We paid attention to time-course changes in the Candida count and the amount of dental plaques and its physical properties observed by palpation using a dental probe and macroscopically.The long-term use of the AMPH-B-containing mouthwash for 4 months or longer reduced the oral Candida count with time, confirming that the count can be maintained at a low level by continued use of the mouthwash. In addition, dental plaques macroscopically decreased as the Candida count decreased, and the physical properties the dental plaques also changed. Although the quantitative and qualitative influences of fungi in the oral cavity on dental plaques have not been investigated, it was clarified that long-term gargling with AMPH-B reduced the oral fungal level, which may have quantitatively and qualitatively changed dental plaques, i.e., microorganisms constituting the indigenous microbial flora in the oral cavity.Dental plaques show latent pathogenicity. In addition to the fact that causative microorganisms of the 2 major oral diseases, dental caries and periodontal disease, are present in dental plaques, the causative microorganisms of aspiration pneumonia, which is a major issue in the elderly, are also present. Thus, reduction of the amount of dental plaques may be beneficial for the health of the oral cavity as well as the whole body.