ASSOCIATION OF SPECIFIC BACTERIA WITH SOME ENDODONTIC SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Although a wide range of bacterial species has been isolated from infe cted dental root canals it remains necessary to determine whether any particular group of such bacteria is associated with specific endodont ic symptoms and clinical signs. In this study 30 root canals were exam ined microbiologically; of these, 14 were associated with pain, 20 wit h tenderness to percussion, 23 presented with wet root canals, seven w ith swelling, five with purulent exudate and four with a sinus. Clinic al and microbiological correlation was observed particularly with rega rd to pain where anaerobes were isolated from 93% of painful canals an d only from 53% of painfree canals. The former yielded means of 2.5 an aerobic species and 1.6 facultative species per canal, compared with 1 .5 and 2.4 in painfree canals. Prevotella spp. were isolated from 64.2 % of painful canals and 12.5% of painless canals (P<0.01) similarly, p eptostreptococci were isolated from 71.4% of painful and 31.3% of pain less canals (P<0.05). It was concluded that a significant association exists between pain and the presence of Prevotella and Peptostreptococ cus spp. in dental root canals.