The nurse is caring for several clients on a medical unit in the hospital. Which client does the nurse recognize as being at greatest risk of acquiring an oral Candida infection?

Question

1. The client with braces
2. The client who uses smokeless tobacco
3. The client with sleep apnea
4. The client using a steroid inhaler for asthma

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 4
Rationale 1: The client with braces does not have an increased risk of Candida. These clients typically maintain better oral hygiene than do other patients, actually decreasing their risk.
Rationale 2: This client is at risk for oral cancer, not for a fungal infection.
Rationale 3: Mouth breathing does not increase the risk of fungal infection.
Rationale 4: Clients taking inhaled corticosteroids experience local immunosuppression in the oral cavity.
Global Rationale: Clients taking inhaled corticosteroids experience local immunosuppression in the oral cavity. The client with braces does not have an increased risk of Candida. These clients typically maintain better oral hygiene than do other patients, actually decreasing their risk. Mouth breathing and use of smokeless tobacco do not increase the risk of fungal infection.