BACKGROUND Chronic periodontitis is defined as "an infectious disease resulting in inflammation within the supporting tissues of the teeth and progressive attachment loss and bone loss." Chronic periodontitis is associated with a widely diverse and complex subgingival microbiota encompassing both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, facultative and anaerobic organisms, viruses and yeasts. More than 500 bacterial strains have been recovered from the subgingival plaque. Plaque also comprises of fungal species like Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei, and Candida dubliniensis. Most of these strains are commensals and some are potential opportunistic pathogens.The objective of the study is to examine the prevalence of Candida albicans (dimorphic fungus) in subgingival plaque samples of patients with chronic periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODSIt's a cross-sectional study of 108 chronic periodontitis patients, their age ranged from 30 to 55 years. Clinical parameters like plaque index (PlI), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were measured. We also observed the smokers from the analysed patients. Suitable microbiological media was used to culture C. albicans from clinical plaque samples. Data analysed with suitable statistical methods. RESULTSClinical parameters of PlI, PD, and CAL, disease severity and sex revealed no significant relation between C. albicans and periodontitis patients, while smoking of individuals significantly correlated with the presence of the C. albicans. CONCLUSIONAlthough C. albicans infection occurred in chronic periodontitis patients, smokers were at higher risk for C. albicans infection than non-smokers.