Abstract: Objective To analyse Candida albicans infection in patients with oral mucosal diseases. Methods A total of 2 289 patients who visited the Department of Oral Mucosal Disease in 2019 and underwent Candida albicans culture were collected. Clinical and laboratory data were collected on each patient. They were grouped by age:0-16 years old(Group 1, 38 patients), 17-29 years old (Group 2, 181 patients), 30-39 years old (Group 3, 274 patients), 40-49 years old (Group 4, 325 patients), 50-59 years old (Group 5, 535 patients), 60-69 years old (Group 6, 540 patients), 70 years and older (Group 7, 396 patients). Results The total infection rate of Candida albicans was 30.6%, and the infection rate of female patients was higher than that of males (33.1% vs. 25.1%, P<0.05). The overall rate of Candida albicans infection increased with age, and the infection rate in Group 6 and 7 was significantly higher than that in Group 2, 3, 4, and 5 (P<0.05). In addition to oral candidiasis itself, Candida albicans was most easily detected in labial and lingual diseases and oral marking diseases, and the positive detection of Candida albicans was associated with labial and lingual diseases, Sjogren′s syndrome, and oral marking diseases, etc. Among patients who had both candida albicans culture and fungal microscopy, the fungal microscopy was positive in 50 patients who had a positive Candida albicans culture and the positive rate was 35.5%. The topical treatment of patients with positive culture of Candida albicans, using nystatin tablets and 2%-3% sodium bicarbonate solution, resulted in a drug response rate of 81.36%. Conclusion Oral candidiasis is more likely to occur in elderly women over 60, and is associated with systemic diseases and oral marking diseases. The efficacy of topical treatment of oral candidiasis using the combination of nystatin tablets and 2%-3% sodium bicarbonate solution is acceptable.

Key words: oral candidiasis, Candida albicans, systemic disorder, oral disease