E. Faecalis Prevalence in Primary and Secondary Endodontic Infections: a Pre-post Microbial Analysis Following Chemo-mechanical Preparation

Post-treatment apical periodontitis is a fairly prevalent condition frequently caused by a persistent endodontic infection due to failure of the endodontic treatment. Microbial species in treated or untreated root canals were found to be different, with the former being less diverse and mainly characterized by Gram positive, facultative anaerobes bacteria than the latter. Enterococcus faecalis is the most frequently detected species in root-filled teeth in many studies (Zhang et al., 2015). In fact, E. Faecalis retains many virulence factors allowing adhesion to host cells and extracellular matrix, tissue invasion and damage through toxins release, as well as the ability to survive even in harsh environmental conditions. Further studies are needed to clarify E. faecalis prevalence among the different forms of pulpal and periapical lesions as well as its correlation with clinical symptoms.