ABSTRACT
The incorporation of antimicrobial and antifungal agents in denture base materials can be an alternative and/or adjuvant therapy in the treatment of denture-related stomatitis, a pathology frequently associated with the presence of Candida spp. This review aims at studying the possibility of incorporating chlorhexidine (CHX) in denture base materials, focusing on its antifungal activity and putative effects on the material properties. An electronic search was performed in the Pubmed database using the keywords: “chlorhexidine”, “dental prosthesis”, “Candida”, “denture stomatitis”, “antimicrobal” and “incorporation”. Twenty-one out of 155 identified articles were considered relevant for this work, 14 articles were added subsequently, totaling 35 articles. In contrast to acrylic resins, temporary relining materials showed better effectiveness, without compromising their physical properties. CHX incorporation in denture base materials appears to be favorable, since the antimicrobial agent remains at the site of action and lower concentrations of the agent are necessary to obtain the desired therapeutic effects.
