Oral medicine and oral cancer: candidal infections: practice question

A Dentistry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Dentistry · Oral medicine and oral cancer: candidal infections

Sample item

A 70-year-old woman who wears her upper denture day and night has a sharply outlined, red, mildly sore palatal mucosa under the denture. Scraping yields yeast hyphae. What is the most appropriate management?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Topical antifungal and leaving the denture out at night

Denture stomatitis is a chronic Candida infection of the mucosa beneath a denture. Treatment is a topical antifungal plus denture cleaning and removal at night.

Option by option

  • A. Penicillin for 7 days

    Penicillin is an antibacterial and does not act on yeast.

  • B. Excision of the palatal mucosa

    The condition is inflammatory and reversible, so excision is not needed.

  • C. Systemic corticosteroid

    Steroids would worsen a fungal infection.

  • D. Topical antifungal and leaving the denture out at night (correct)

    Correct. Antifungal therapy and denture hygiene treat Candida under the denture.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Dentistry question

What is the answer to this Dentistry question?

The best answer is D, Topical antifungal and leaving the denture out at night. Denture stomatitis is a chronic Candida infection of the mucosa beneath a denture.

Why is "Penicillin for 7 days" not the answer?

Penicillin is an antibacterial and does not act on yeast.

Why is "Excision of the palatal mucosa" not the answer?

The condition is inflammatory and reversible, so excision is not needed.

Why is "Systemic corticosteroid" not the answer?

Steroids would worsen a fungal infection.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Oral medicine and oral cancer: candidal infections in Dentistry. Treatment is a topical antifungal plus denture cleaning and removal at night.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Oral medicine and oral cancer: candidal infections?

Learn the dental formula, eruption ages and tooth structure once, as tables. Then use the flashcards and the other Dentistry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.