Impairments in taste perception may be caused by a number of factors, including the presence of Candida albicans in the oral cavity. We attempted to establish whether the presence of Candida albicans on the tongue is a cause of taste disorders by studying taste disorders in patients with candidosis of the tongue and in healthy "carriers" and "non-carriers" of C. albicans. Taste disorders and their severity were objectively assessed by the filter-paper disk method in 18 patients with candidosis of the tongue and in 33 healthy "carriers" and 167 healthy "non-carriers" of C. albicans. The gustatory function was re-tested in 7 patients and 8 "carriers" after treatment with topical anti-mycotic medication to detect any improvement. Patients with candidosis of the tongue and "carriers" of C. albicans demonstrated significantly higher incidences (p<0.001) of taste disorders than did "non-carriers". The mean taste threshold of each of the four individual taste qualities was significantly higher in patients with candidosis than in "non-carriers". The average taste threshold was significantly higher in "carriers" than in "non-carriers". Post-treatment improvement or recovery from taste disorders was obtained in 5 out of 7 patients (71.4%) with candidosis and in 7 out of 8 "carriers" (87.5%) of C. albicans. This study clearly demonstrates that not only overt candidosis of the tongue but also commensal harboring of C. albicans is a cause of taste disorders.