Prevalence of Treponema spp. in endodontic retreatment-resistant periapical lesions

Abstract

This study investigated the presence of the Treponemaspecies in longstanding endodontic retreatment-resistant lesionsof teeth with apical periodontitis, the association of this specieswith clinical/radiographic features, and the association among thedifferent target species. Microbial samples of apical lesions werecollected from twenty-five adult patients referred to endodonticsurgery after unsuccessful root canal retreatment. Nested-PCR andconventional PCR were used for Treponema detection. Twenty-threeperiradicular tissue samples showed detectable levels of bacterialDNA. Treponema species were detected in 28% (7/25) of the cases. Themost frequently detected species were T. socranskii (6/25), followed byT. maltophilum (3/25), T. amylovorum (3/25), T. lecithinolyticum (3/25),T. denticola (3/25), T. pectinovorum (2/25) and T. medium (2/25). T. vicentiiwas not detected in any sample. Positive statistical association was foundbetween T. socranskii and T. denticola, and between T. maltophilum andT. lecithinolyticum. No association was detected between the presenceof any target microorganism and the clinical or radiographic features.Treponema spp. are present, in a low percentage, in longstanding apicallesions from teeth with endodontic retreatment failure