Objective. The aim was to assess oral Candida carriage among individuals chewing betel-quid (BQ) with and without tobacco. Study design. A retrospective and comparative study of oral Candida carriage among individuals chewing BQ with and without tobacco. Oral yeast samples were collected from 103 BQ-chewers (52 chewing BQ with tobacco and 51 chewing BQ without tobacco) and 100 non-chewers. Candida strains were cultured in Sabouraud dextrose agar and identified using the API 32-C System and polymerase chain reaction-DNA sequencing. Tongue lesions were clinically identified and numbers of missing teeth were recorded. Unstimulated whole salivary flow rate was recorded. Results. Oral Candida species were isolated from 72.7% BQ-chewers (73.1% in individuals chewing BQ with tobacco and 72.4% in individuals chewing BQ without tobacco) and 61% non-chewers. Conclusion. Chewing BQ (with or without tobacco) does not influence oral Candida carriage. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 2013;-:1-6) Betel-quid (BQ)-chewing habit has a high prevalence in several Asian and South-Asian countries including Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand. 1-3 It has been reported that BQ-chewing is practiced by nearly 600 million individuals world-wide. 4 The classical components of a BQ include areca-nut, slaked lime (aqueous calcium hydroxide paste), catechu, menthol, and artificial sweeteners wrapped in a betel-leaf (Piper betle leaf). However, addition of smokeless powdered tobacco to the quid may make BQ-chewing more enjoyable for some individuals. The BQ is initially placed in the buccal vestibule and gently chewed and sucked. It is then held against the buccal mucosa over long durations and continued to be gently chewed and sucked intermittently. When desired, the contents are either swallowed or expectorated. Oral Candida species (particularly Candida albicans [C. albicans]) are an integral component of the normal human oral flora. It has been reported that the preva-lence of oral Candida carriage in healthy human oral cavities ranges from 40% to 60%. 5 Risk factors, have been reported to influence oral Candida carriage, include increasing age, female gender, orthodontic treatment, immunocompromised conditions (such as poorly-controlled diabetes mellitus and infection with human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]) and tobacco smoking. 6-11 It has been suggested that tobacco contents (such as nicotine, polycyclic aromatic hydro-carbons, polonium, and nitrosoprolin) act as nutrients for Candida species and facilitate their proliferation.