Instead of the conventional anti-fungal pills which need to be taken five times a day, a Henry Ford Hospital study has found a medicine that can be taken once a day to treat Oral Candidiasis, a common problem for as many as half of all HIV patients and as many as 90 percent of AIDS patients.

As the largest study to date on oral candidiasis involving HIV and AIDS patients, the research may provide hope to those who suffer from oral candiidiasis which also includes patients who suffer from head and neck cancer.

The medicine which has been shown effective for oral candidiasis is a tablet that sticks to the gum and releases anti-fungal medication over the course of 6 to 8 hours.

The anti-fungal agent contained in the medicine stays in the mouth and unlike medications that are swallowed or injected, is less likely to produce side effects because it is not absorbed by other parts of the body.

The study compared the effectiveness of the once a day 50 milligrams of a miconazole mucoadhesive buccal tablet to 10 milligrams of clotrimazole taken 5 times a day.

The study which showed the once a day medication as being as effective in treating oral candidiasis involved 578 patients and was funded by BioAlliance Pharma.