Investigating the effectiveness of atorvastatin mouthwash on denture stomatitis: A randomized, double-blind controlled trial

Iman Haghani; Majid Saeedi; Amirhossein Babaei; Zahra Yahyazadeh; Abolfazl Hosseinnataj; Mohammad Ebrahimi Saravi; Fatemeh Akbari; Anahita Lotfizadeh; Ehsan Rajabi Visroodi; Tahereh Molania

doi:10.1016/j.prosdent.2024.12.003

Investigating the effectiveness of atorvastatin mouthwash on denture stomatitis: A randomized, double-blind controlled trial

J Prosthet Dent. 2024 Dec 24:S0022-3913(24)00787-X. doi: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2024.12.003. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ Assistant Professor, Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; and Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
² Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
³ Assistant Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Hemoglobinopathy Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁴ Assistant Professor, Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁵ Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁶ Associate Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Dental Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Faculty of Dentistry, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁷ Private practice, Sari, Iran.
⁸ Undergraduate student, Student Research Committee, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁹ Associate Professor, Department of Oral Medicine, Dental Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Faculty of Dentistry, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Electronic address: t_molania117@yahoo.com.

PMID: 39721842
DOI: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2024.12.003

Abstract

Statement of problem: Denture stomatitis (DS) is a common oral disorder in patients with complete maxillary dentures. Typical treatments such as nystatin or azoles lead to drug resistance after a long period. Several studies have shown the antifungal activity of statins against Candida albicans; however, studies on the antifungal effect of atorvastatin against DS are lacking.

Purpose: The purpose of this randomized, double-blind controlled trial was to assess the effectiveness of atorvastatin mouthwash against DS.

Material and methods: Twenty-two participants diagnosed with DS were randomly allocated into 2 groups: 11 in the intervention group (atorvastatin mouthwash) and 11 in the control group (nystatin). Participants were asked to use the mouthwash 3 times a day for 2 weeks. The length and width of the lesions were measured, and the number of colonies were counted on days 1 and 14. Data were analyzed with the Spearman correlation coefficient and the Mann-Whitney, Kruskal Wallis, and Wilcoxon tests (α=.05).

Results: The number of colonies before and after using a mouthwash was significantly different in the control and intervention groups (P=.005 and P=.003, respectively). The number of colonies in the 2 groups were statistically similar on the first day (P=.809). However, a significant difference was observed between the groups on day 14 (P=.024). The number of colonies in the atorvastatin group decreased more than nystatin, indicating that atorvastatin was more effective. A significant difference among the groups was found in terms of Candida species detected after the intervention (P=.032).

Conclusions: Atorvastatin was effective in reducing Candida species in participants with DS and can be used as an antifungal agent in treating DS.