Comparison of the Effects of Miconazole and Propolis in the Treatment of Candida-Associated Denture Stomatitis

PURPOSE: This study compared between the efficiency of propolis and miconazole gel as treatment modalities for Candida-associated denture stomatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 20 patients suffering from Candida-associated denture stomatitis were divided into two treatment groups: Group I (control group): 10 patients received 20mg/g miconazole oral gel and Group II (study group): 10 patients received Bio-Propolis Capsules 2% (20mg/g). The patients were asked to use the miconazole oral gel or the propolis powder twice a day for 14 days. Examination was done on 1st, 7th and 14th days. Newtons’s criteria were used to classify the Pre-treatment and post-treatment (CHRO Magar Candida®) and counted through the colony forming unity count (CFU/mL). The intragroup comparison before and after each treatment was done using the Wilcoxon’s test while the Kruskall-Wallis’s test was used to compare the results of the two treatment groups. RESULTS: there was a considerable decrease or total cure of denture stomatitis (P<0.05) and a remarkable reduction of the number of Candida colonies in the two groups. Intergroup comparison revealed that no difference existed between both groups. Newton’s score were reduced in the two groups signifying the efficiency of both treatments. CONCLUSION: propolis powder has an antifungal activity similar to miconazole, in the treatment of Candida-associated denture stomatitis. Propolis is a safe, inexpensive, natural substance without any known side effects until now. It may therefore be safely to treat Candida-associated denture stomatitis.