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Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Pyrosequencing for Microbial Identification and Characterization
Published on: August 22, 2013
Analysis of bacterial community profiles of endodontically infected primary teeth using pyrosequencing
Kwan Hee Yun1,2, Hyo-Seol Lee2, Ok Hyung Nam1,2
1Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to identify the endodontic microbiome in primary teeth with dental caries using high-throughput pyrosequencing and to establish data on the oral microbiome of primary teeth with endodontic infection.
Methods:
Ten primary teeth with dental caries and endodontic infection were included. Samples were collected from root canals using sterilized paper points and analyzed by pyrosequencing, based on the V1-V3 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. The data were analyzed using the CLcommunity software.
Results:
Analysis of the 10 samples yielded a total of 64,291 16S rRNA gene sequences. In total, 1586 OTUs (range, 91-235), six bacterial phyla, including unclassified, and 187 genera were assigned. At the genus level, Neisseria (group A), Acinetobacter (group B), and Fusobacterium (group C) were prominent. These predominant microorganisms were associated with the clinical condition and reflected the progression of endodontic infection in primary teeth.
Conclusions:
This study revealed a relationship between the oral microbiome and endodontic infection in primary teeth. Additionally, anaerobic bacteria such as Fusobacterium species were dominant in the teeth with apical abscesses.
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