STUDIES INTO THE MICROBIAL SPECTRUM OF APICAL PERIODONTITIS

This study examined the variety of obligate and facultative anaerobic bacterial species recovered from cases of acute apical periodontitis. A total of 19 root canal samples and 24 periapical granuloma samples were taken from patients suffering pain and discomfort, Bacteria were identified by applying the following techniques: culturing on various media, Gram-staining and using commercially available biochemical test strips, In addition, Prevotella intermedia and Porphyromonas endodontalis were differentiated on a molecular genetic level using species-specific oligodeoxynucleotide probes. The most frequently identified bacteria were Prevotella intermedia, Bifidobacterium spp,, Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus milleri-group and Bacteroides spp, Obligate anaerobes occured at a rate of 82.3%, and the average number of isolates was 6.4 per sample.