Methylene Blue‐Mediated Photodynamic Inactivation Followed by Low‐Laser Therapy versus Miconazole Gel in the Treatment of Denture Stomatitis

PURPOSE: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) appears to be an effective method for the in vitro and in vivo inactivation of Candida spp., but no clinical trials in this context have yet been conducted. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of oral miconazole gel to PDT combined with low-power laser (LPL) therapy in the treatment of denture stomatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty participants with clinical and microbiological diagnoses of type II denture stomatitis were randomly allocated to two treatment groups (PDT and miconazole gel), each with 20 individuals. The PDT group was submitted to one session of methylene blue-mediated PDT plus two sessions of low-laser therapy twice a week for 15 days. The miconazole group was submitted to the drug four times a day for 15 days. RESULTS: Forty percent of the patients achieved clinical and microbiological resolution of denture stomatitis after methylene blue-mediated photodynamic inactivation followed by low-laser therapy. The cure rate associated with miconazole was 80% (p < 0.05). Fifteen days after the end of treatment, the recurrence rate was 25% in patients treated with PDT combined with LPL therapy and 12.5% in patients treated with miconazole. CONCLUSION: Miconazole gel provides better results than a protocol combining methylene blue-mediated PDT and LPL therapy in the treatment of type II denture stomatitis.