Molecular analysis of Candida species in teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis

Deep carious lesions can cause severe damage to the dental pulp, potentially progressing to irreversible pulpitis. While bacterial involvement in this process has been extensively investigated, fungal participation has received comparatively less attention. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the presence of six Candida species and their association in infected dentine (ID) and root canals (RC) of teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (SIP) using Nested PCR.

Twenty patients with SIP were included in this study. Samples were collected from ID and RC. DNA was extracted from the samples for microbial detection via PCR using species-specific 18S rDNA and the downstream intergenic spacer region primers. Candida spp were detected by Nested PCR. McNemar and Fisher's exact tests were used to test different null hypotheses at a significance level of 5%.

Candida spp. were simultaneously detected in ID and RC in 6 of 8 teeth with carious lesions; and in 9 of 12 restored teeth. C. albicans was the most frequently detected species in ID and RC samples.There was a significant difference between the presence of C. glabrata in ID and RC (p = 0.004); a positive association between C. glabrata and C. dubliniensis (p = 0.005; OR=36; and a negative association between C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis (p = 0.011; OR=0) in the ID. A positive association between C. dubliniensis and C. tropicalis was identified in the RC (p = 0.013; OR=45).

Candida spp. are commonly found in ID and the RC of SIP, with C. albicans being the most prevalent fungal species.