Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Spring;2(1):24-8.
Epub 2007 Apr 1.

Presence of Candida Albicans in Root Canal System of Teeth Requiring Endodontic Retreatment with and without Periapical Lesions

Hengameh Ashraf  1 , Mohammad Samiee  1 , Gita Eslami  2 , Mohammad Reza Ghodse Hosseini  3
Affiliations

Presence of Candida Albicans in Root Canal System of Teeth Requiring Endodontic Retreatment with and without Periapical Lesions

Hengameh Ashraf et al. Iran Endod J. 2007 Spring.

Abstract

Introduction: An important consideration in endodontic treatment is the elimination of microorganisms, including fungi, from the complex three- dimensional root canal system. Candida Albicans (CA) has a major role in endodontic treatment failure as the most important fungus isolated from the root canal system. The present study was carried out to evaluate the presence of CA in the teeth requiring endodontic retreatment, with or without periapical lesions.

Materials and methods: This study was carried out on 60 root canals from human molars requiring endodontic retreatment. The root canals were randomly divided into two equal groups of 30 canals with versus without periapical lesions. Samples were collected from the root canals and cultured on MacConkey and blood agar culture media. The samples suspected of having CA were streaked on Sabouraud's Dextrose Agar (SDA) and evaluated under a light microscope. Data was analyzed and compared using Chi- square and Kappa tests.

Results: CA was found in 11 patients (36.7%) with periapical lesions. In the patients without periapical lesions only 4 samples demonstrated CA in the root canal systems (13.3%). The difference between the two groups as to the presence of CA was statistically significant (p<0.037). In addition, evaluation of salivary samples revealed 15 cases (50%) of CA presence in the patients with periapical lesions and 16 cases (53.3%) of CA in the patients without periapical lesions, demonstrating no statistically significant difference between the two groups.

Conclusion: Considering the fact that the presence of CA in the root canal systems of teeth with periapical lesions was more noticeable and statistically significant compared to the teeth without periapical lesions, the elimination of this microorganism from the root canal system, using appropriate intracanal solutions and medications is of utmost importance.

Keywords: Candida Albicans; Endodontic Treatment; Microorganism; Periapical Lesion.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Baumgartner JC, Hutter Jw, Sigueira JF Jr. Endodontic microbiology and treatment of infections. In: Cohen S, Hargreaves KM, editors. Pathways of the pulp. 9th Edition. St. Louis: CV Mosby; 2006. pp. 589–91.
    1. Siren EK, Haapasalo MPP, Ranta K, Salmi P, Kerosuo ENJ. Microbiological findings and clinical treatment procedures in endodontic cases selected for microbiological investigation. Int Endod J. 1997;30:91–5. - PubMed
    1. Hancock HH, Singudrsson A, Trope M, Moseiwitsch J. Bacteria isolated after unsuccessful endodontic treatment in a North America population. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radio Endod. 2001;91:579–86. - PubMed
    1. Love RM. Enterococcus faecalis- a mechanism for its role in endodontic failure. Int Endod J. 2001;34:399–405. - PubMed
    1. Nair R, Sjogren U, Krey G, Kahnberg K-E, Sundqvist G. Intraradicular bacteria and fungi in root-filled, asymptomatic human teeth with therapy-resistant periapical lesions: a long-term light and electron microscopic follow-up study. J Endod. 1990;16:580–8. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources