Microbial profile of root canals of primary teeth with pulp necrosis and periradicular lesion

The purpose of this study was to assess the microbial content of root canals of human primary teeth with pulp necrosis and periradicular lesion.

Microbial samples were collected from 24 canals of children treated at a pediatric dentistry clinic. Microbiological identification was performed using checker-board DNA-DNA hybridization for 40 different bacteria. Data were analyzed per canal based on the mean count and frequency of each bacterial species.

Detectable levels of bacterial species were observed for 35 probes (88%). The most frequent bacteria were Fusobacterium nucleatum sp. nucleatum, Fusobacterium periodonticum, Prevotella melaninogenica, Prevotella nigrescens, and Prevotella intermedia. Facultative species were identified in 20 root canals (83%), anaerobic species were identified in 24 root canals (100%), and aerobic species in 18 root canals (75%). Black-pigmented bacilli were found in 23 samples (96%). The number of different bacterial species detected per canal ranged from five to 33.

Endodontic infection in primary teeth with pulp necrosis and periradicular lesion is multimicrobial, including aerobic, facultative, and anaerobic micro-organisms.