Biofilms–biomaterial interactions of C. albicans. (a) Schematic of the biofilm model used to grow C. albicans biofilms over the samples under cyclic mechanical loading for 24 h. (b) Microbiological evaluations of C. albicans biofilms cultivated on the biomaterial surface with and without repetitive loading, including (b) biofilm biomass, (c) metabolic activity, and (d) cell viability (CFU). (e) Fluorescence microscopy z-stack images of C. albicans biofilms. Samples were stained with SYTO 9 (green) and propidium iodide (red) to indicate live and dead fungi, respectively. For all evaluations, the applied mechanical load (5 N) corresponds to an electrical charge of 8.5 pC/cm2 in the piezoelectric PMMA composite. The error bars were obtained from N = 4 samples. Significant differences between groups are expressed as follows: *p < 0.05, **p < 0.001, or ***p < 0.0001.