(PR62) Comparative Study of Remaining Live/Dead Bacteria in the Pulp Chamber of Teeth Utilizing Traditional Access (TEC) and Conservative Access Cavity (CEC) Designs

Traditional endodontic access cavity (TEC) design has been routinely used for endodontic procedures over the years. Recently, though, the use of conservative endodontic access cavity (CEC) designs have been proposed over TEC use for better preservation of tooth structure. However, smaller accesses can impact complete debridement of the pulp and can leave bacteria in the pulp chamber. The aim of this study was to compare the quantity of bacteria remaining in the pulp chamber using TEC and CEC.

Methods: After obtaining periapical radiographs, mandibular first molars (N=20) were randomly divided into controls (n=4) and two experimental groups: Group I TEC (n=10) and Group II CEC (n=10). The pulp chamber and distal canal of each molar was inoculated with 100µl Actinomycetes naeslundii species, submerged in 2 ml culture solution, and incubated anaerobically for 48 hours. The distal canal was instrumented up to size 30/06 taper using 5.25% sodium hypochlorite for irrigation, with a final rinse of 17% EDTA. The teeth were sectioned and stained using LIVE/DEAD bacterial stain for examination under a Confocal Laser Microscope (CFLM). Statistical analysis was performed using a t-test (P=0.05).

Results: Based on preliminary results, there was no significant difference found in the quantity of bacteria remaining in the pulp chamber using either of the two access cavity designs.

Conclusion: The type of access cavity did not impact the quantity of bacteria remaining in the pulp chamber of teeth.