Purpose: This in vitro study aimed to evaluate and compare the surface roughness, wettability (contact angle), and Candida albicans (C. albicans) adhesion of denture base materials fabricated using different techniques. Materials and Methods: Six materials were tested: conventional PMMA, CAD-CAM PMMA, PEEK, polyamide, titanium, and cobalt-chromium. Surface roughness (Ra) and contact angle (°) were measured, and Candida albicans adhesion was assessed by counting colony-forming units (CFU/mL). Data were analyzed using Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests with Bonferroni correction. Spearman’s correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between surface properties and fungal adhesion. Results: Significant differences were found among the materials in surface roughness, contact angle, and Candida adhesion (p < 0.0001). Conventional PMMA, polyamide, and PEEK showed the highest surface roughness, whereas Co-Cr and titanium exhibited the smoothest surfaces. Contact angle measurements indicated that Co-Cr was the most hydrophobic, while titanium was the most hydrophilic. The highest Candida adhesion was observed on polyamide and PEEK, and the lowest on Co-Cr. Positive correlation was found between surface roughness and fungal adhesion (ρ = 0.625), while a negative correlation was found between contact angle and adhesion (ρ = –0.533). Conclusion: Both surface roughness and wettability significantly influence C. albicans adhesion. Materials with smoother and more hydrophilic surfaces, such as CAD-CAM PMMA and titanium, demonstrated reduced fungal colonization, highlighting the importance of material selection in preventing prosthesis-related infections.
Topaloğlu et al. (2025) studied this question.