Evaluation of root canal bacteria and their antimicrobial susceptibility in teeth with necrotic pulp

This study aimed to evaluate the microbiota of necrotic pulp in teeth without carious lesions where the crown and root were intact and to test the sensitivity of this microbiota to antibiotics in order to improve treatment. The necrotic pulp was sampled from 26 single-rooted teeth in intact pulp chambers. A total of 84 strains were isolated. The number of species isolated per tooth varied from 2 to 8, with a strong component (81%) of anaerobic bacteria. The most commonly represented species were Bacteroides gracilis, Propionibacterium acnes, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella buccae and Eubacterium lentum. The sensitivity of these organisms to amoxicillin, amoxicillin combined with clavulanate and tetracycline was evaluated by Etest on 38 isolates. For all strains tested, the minimum inhibitory concentration values obtained were low and substantially below effective serum concentrations for these antibiotics. These data enable us to devise suitable treatments for acute development of apical lesions and to prevent dissemination of this source of infection to the rest of the host.