Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria: Biofilm Formation and Corrosive Activity in Endodontic Files

This study describes the biofilm formation and the corrosive capacity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) on the metallic structure of used endodontic files.

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) (Desulfovibrio desulfuricans oral and Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis or D. desulfuricans environmental) were inoculated into the culture media (Postgate C culture medium or modified Postgate E culture medium). The biocorrosive potential of these bacteria will be an important component of a biopharmaceutical under development called BACCOR. Afterwards, four used endodontic files (UEFs) were separately inoculated into a specific culture media for 445 days at 30°C in an incubator. The four UEFs were placed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and analyzed by the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS).

The confocal laser scanning microscopic images indicate the presence of biofilm in the four samples. The SEM and SEM-EDS revealed the presence of rough, irregular structures adhering along the metallic surface of the used endodontic files, suggesting a mature calcified biofilm with a high concentration of Ca, P, C, and S.

The formation of SRB biofilms on used endodontic files shows characteristics that may contribute to the biocorrosion of these files, and the results may also provide complementary data for a biopharmaceutical, which is still under development to assist in the removal of fractured endodontic files inside root channels.