Aim: Denture stomatitis is a common and recurring problem of denture wearers. Ketoconazole tablet is one of the antimycotic drugs that often has been used to treat this condition, but systemic use of this drug has some adverse effects that frequently lead to unfavorable compliance and treatment failure. This study was designed to compare the efficacy of topical ketoconazole 2% in orabase and ketoconazole tablet.

Methods and materials: Thirty patients with denture stomatitis (positive culture) were divided into two groups. The first group received ketoconazole tablet (orally used 200 mg per day) for 14 days and the second group received 2% topical ketoconazole in orabase applied twice daily on the mucosal denture surface. Candida cultures were taken from the palatal mucosa before and on days 7 and 14 after commencement of the therapy. The mean of colonies before and 7 and 14 days after medication were calculated. One-way ANOVA and paired t-test were used for data analysis (alpha=0.05).

Results: The mean of colonies number before receiving medication in the tablet and topical application groups were 454 and 441 respectively. The mean of colonies number after receiving medication in tablet and topical application group were 137 and 176 (on the seventh day) and 122 and 96 (on the 14th day), respectively; there was no significant difference between the two groups after medication (p=0.18).

Conclusion: Topical ketoconazole 2% in orabase can be useful in managing denture stomatitis. This topical medication has fewer side effects, whereas systemic administration of ketoconazole tablet is associated with some complications.

Clinical significance: The application of topical ketoconazole 2% in orabase ointment can be considered in the treatment of denture stomatitis and has comparable efficacy with the ketoconazole tablet.