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Biomedical subjects

L Tronstad

Publications and source records attributed to L Tronstad.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Bacteremia in conjunction with endodontic therapy.

This study characterizes oral microorganisms believed to have spread from the root canal into the blood stream during and after endodontic therapy of teeth with Asymptomatic apical periodontitis. Microbiological samples were taken under aseptic conditions from the root canal of 26 single-rooted teeth in 26 patients. In the endodontic treatment of 13 of the patients (Group 1), the first 3 reamers, sizes 15, 20 and 25, were used to a level 2 mm beyond the apical foramen. In the other 13 patients (Group 2), the instrumentation ended inside the root canal 1 mm short of the apical foramen. Blood samples were taken from the patients during the instrumentation and 10 min after the treatment was completed. Anaerobic microorganisms were isolated from all root canals. In 7 patients of Group 1, Propionibacterium acnes, Peptostreptococcus prevotii, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were recovered from the blood. In 4 patients of Group 2, P. intermedia, Actinomyces israelii, Streptococcus intermedius and Streptococcus sanguis were isolated from the blood. Biochemical tests and antibiograms revealed that the isolates from the root canal and blood had identical profiles within the patients, strongly suggesting that the microorganisms isolated from the blood had the root canal as their source.

Actinomyces

Systemic diseases caused by oral microorganisms.

Human endodontic and periodontal infections are associated with complex microfloras in which approximately 150, (in apical periodontitis) and 350 (in marginal periodontitis) bacterial species have been encountered. These infections are predominantly anaerobic, with gram-negative rods being the most common isolates. The anatomic closeness of this microflora to the bloodstream can facilitate bacteremia and systemic spread of bacterial by-products and immunocomplexes. A variety of clinical procedures such as tooth extraction, periodontal and endodontic treatment, may cause translocation of microorganisms from the oral cavity to the bloodstream. The microorganisms that gain entrance to the blood circulate throughout the body, but are usually eliminated by the host (reticuloendothelial system) within minutes. However, in patients with ineffective heart valves or vascular diseases, bacteremia can be a potential danger, leading most commonly to infective endocarditis and myocardial or cerebral infarction. Other forms of systemic diseases such as brain abscesses, hematological infections and implant infections have also been related to oral microorganisms.

Bacteremia

Efficacy of laser Doppler flowmetry in determining pulp vitality of human teeth.

The aim of this study was to examine if laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) could aid in distinguishing teeth with necrotic pulps from vital teeth and if so, which configuration of 5 experimental probes would give the best results. Each probe had 3 fibers arranged in a triangle. One fiber carried the laser light to the pulp tissue and 2 fibers carried the back-scattered light to the detector giving the output signal. The distance between the 3 fibers in the triangular arrangement in each probe was 250, 500, 800, 1000, and 1500 microns. A special rubber-base splint was used to hold the probe in place on the buccal surface of the tested teeth. Eleven anterior teeth with clinically diagnosed necrotic pulp were measured with the LDF method and the results compared to contralateral teeth with vital pulp. For the sake of comparison, 10 pairs of anterior teeth with vital pulps in 10 patients were tested as well. The LDF signals were fed into an analog printer and a lap-top computer where all calculations were done. With the LDF method, the output signals from the teeth with necrotic pulps were significantly lower with all 5 probes than the output signals from the contralateral vital teeth. On average, the signal was 42.7% lower from the teeth with necrotic pulps than from the vital teeth. Four of 11 teeth with necrotic pulp gave a positive response to an electrical pulp tester (EPT). The results suggested that the probe with the smallest separation of fibers was the most sensitive in distinguishing necrotic pulps from vital ones.

Dental Pulp

Reliability of laser Doppler flowmetry in testing vitality of human teeth.

The aim of this investigation was to study the reliability of the laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) output signals when testing from 4 different positions on the buccal surface of human teeth. Recordings were made from 10 intact anterior teeth in 10 patients, mean age 27.4 years. Five types of probes were used. Each probe had 3 fibers arranged in a triangle, one lighted fiber and 2 receiving ones. The separation of the fibers was 1500, 1000, 800, 500 and 250 microns. The diameter of the fibers was 200 microns in all probes except the one with the smallest separation of fibers where it was 125 microns. A rubber base splint was used to position the probe on the buccal surface of the teeth tested. The first recording was made with the ingoing light in a gingival position. Then 3 additional recordings were made turning the probe 90 degrees each time consequently changing the position of the ingoing light accordingly. Thus, gingival, mesial, incisal and distal recordings were obtained. The output signals were fed into a lap-top computer upon which all calculations were done. The output signals from the incisalmost position of the teeth were significantly lower than the output signals from the other 3 positions with all probes except one. The turning of the probes into the 4 different positions affected the output signals from the probe with the smallest separation of fibers significantly more than the output signals from the other probes.

Adult

Observation of an unusually large spirochete in endodontic infection.

Spirochetes in the root canal have been investigated only to a minor extent. Oral spirochetes have been detected particularly in the periodontal pocket, where small, medium-sized and large morphotypes have been reported. In the present darkfield and scanning electron microscopic study we describe a spirochete isolated from the root canal that is 7 times longer (140 microns long) and 5 times thicker (2 microns thick) than usual for treponemes.

Aged

Spirochaetes in oral infections.

Oral spirochaetes, which are small-, medium- or large-sized, include species of the genus Treponema, many of which have not yet been cultured. They are found in root canal infections, pericoronitis, gingivitis and periodontitis, constituting up to 10% of the flora in endodontic abscesses, 30% in acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, and 56% in advanced marginal periodontitis. The strong proteolytic activity of these organisms probably make them causes of infection rather than consequences. Being able to penetrate tissue, they bring their enzymes, metabolic products, and endotoxins, in direct contact with target cells. This may perturb essential functions of host cells and immunoglobulins. Enzyme activities may also help fulfil the complex growth requirements of spirochaetes in vivo. Reaction between infected periodontal tissue and monoclonal antibodies to Treponema pallidum has suggested that uncharacterized pathogen-related oral spirochaetes have surface structures and functions analogue to this well recognized pathogen. This warrants a more intensified search for the role of spirochaetes in oral infections.

Dental Pulp Diseases

Effect of probe design on the suitability of laser Doppler flowmetry in vitality testing of human teeth.

The aim of this investigation was to study the influence of probe design on the signal output from the dental pulp in experiments with laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF). Eighteen patients 14 to 39 years of age were examined. Recordings were made from a maxillary and a mandibular central incisor and a maxillary canine with an infrared laser Doppler flowmeter. The radiographic appearance of the tested teeth was within normal limits and all teeth responded normally to electric pulp testing (EPT). Five configurations of probes were used. Each probe had 3 fibers arranged in a triangle. One fiber carried the laser light to the pulp tissue and 2 fibers carried the backscattered light to the detector giving the signal output. The diameter of each of the 3 fibers in the probe was 200 microns except in 1 probe where the diameter of the fibers was 125 microns. The distance between the 3 fibers in the triangular arrangement in each probe was 250, 500, 800, 1000, and 1500 microns. A special rubber base splint was used to hold the probe in place on the buccal surface of the tested teeth. The output signals from the LDF were fed into an analog printer and a lap top computer where all calculations were done. The probe with the largest separation of the fibers produced significantly higher output signals from the maxillary and mandibular incisors than the other probes. The same probe also produced significantly higher output signals than the smaller probes from the maxillary canine with the exception of the 200/800 probe.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent

Recent development in endodontic research.

In essence, endodontics as a clinical discipline is concerned with the prevention and treatment of pulpal and periapical infection. In recent research the infective process has been investigated as well as the mechanisms by which the pulp and periodontium deal with microbial insults. With regard to the pulp, findings on the hemodynamics of pulpitis suggest that the inflammatory response in this tissue is much less influenced by the special anatomic environment of the tooth than was previously believed. Pulpal diseases are being underdiagnosed, mostly because of inadequate examination methods. Laser Doppler flowmetry which gives a vascular rather than a nervous response may gain importance in pulpal diagnostics in the future. It is established that apical periodontitis with bone resorption cannot develop in the absence of bacteria in the root canal system. Root canal infection is characterized by a wide variety of combinations of relatively few anaerobic bacteria, and bacterial synergism plays an important role in maintaining the infection. Microbial invasion of an apical granuloma may take place. Non-oral and environmental organisms like Pseudomonas aeruginosa are frequently isolated from treatment-resistant cases. Success of endodontic treatment depends on the reduction or elimination of the infecting bacteria. This may predictably be obtained after a thorough chemo-mechanical instrumentation and disinfection of the root canal with calcium hydroxide. The standardized technique which entails the preparation of a cylindrical apical box with removal of significant amounts of dentin near the root apex predictably gives a clean canal. This technique has provided excellent clinical and radiographic results in well documented follow-up studies.

Dental Pulp Diseases

The end of an era.

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History, 20th Century

Profiling of Propionibacterium acnes recovered from root canal and blood during and after endodontic treatment.

This report describes the first results of an ongoing study of bacteremia after endodontic treatment of teeth with Asymptomatic apical periodontitis. After access cavity preparation, microbiological samples were taken from the root canal under aseptic conditions in 4 single-rooted teeth in 4 patients. In treatment of 2 of the patients, the first 3 reamers (sizes 15-25) were deliberately used to a level 2 mm beyond the apical foramen. In 2 patients the instrumentation ended inside the root canal 1 mm short of the apical foramen. Blood samples were taken from the patients during the endodontic instrumentation and 10 min after the treatment was completed. Using lysis-filtration under anaerobic conditions, the blood was passed through a cellulose membrane filter. The filters as well as the root canal samples were incubated using an anaerobic technique. Anaerobic bacteria were isolated from all root canals. In the 2 patients where overinstrumentation had occurred, Propionibacterium acnes was recovered both from the root canals and from the blood samples taken during and after the treatment had been completed. Biochemical profiles, antibiotic susceptibility tests and electrophoresis of soluble proteins revealed that Propionibacterium acnes isolated from the root canal and blood samples were identical within patients, but varied between patients. Facultative anaerobic bacteria including Streptococcus sanguis were recovered from only one root canal sample and not from the blood samples.

Adult

Resistance to fracture of endodontically treated premolars restored with glass ionomer cement or acid etch composite resin.

MOD cavity preparations in 64 endodontically treated premolars were restored using four different methods. Copper rings were filled with commercial hard-setting cement and the teeth were placed into the cement up to the level of the cementoenamel junction. The teeth were grouped according to restorative method, mounted in an Instrom T.T. machine, and the buccal walls subjected to a slowly increasing compressive force until fracture occurred. The force of fracture of the walls of each tooth was recorded and the results in the various groups compared. All teeth fractured in a similar manner irrespective of the restorative method used. The resistance to fracture of the teeth was the same when they were restored with glass ionomer cement as a base over which an amalgam or composite resin was placed or with acid-etched resin. When the entire cavities were filled with glass ionomer cement the resistance to fracture of the teeth decreased significantly compared with the acid etch resin technique.

Acid Etching, Dental

Glass ionomer cements and dental pulp.

Only slight pulp reactions to glass ionomer cements occurred when inserted in Class V cavities of dog teeth. Most inflammatory reactions were due to bacteria at the tooth/filling interface. Special dentin reactions were noted in almost half the teeth, including hematoxyphilic bands in the dentin and a disturbance of the mineralization pattern of predentin. The clinical significance of these dentin reactions is not known.

Animals

Pulp capping of immature teeth with anatomic anomalies.

This case report describes the treatment of two immature teeth with anatomic anomalies which created plaque retentive areas and in one case occlusal disturbance. Periodontal and pulpal consequences were inevitable. Reshaping of the teeth was carried out which as expected led to exposure of the pulp in both instances. Pulp capping was then performed under aseptic conditions. The vitality of the teeth was maintained and continued root development was observed.

Adolescent

Antimicrobial effect of chlorhexidine in a controlled release delivery system.

Chlorhexidine is widely used as a mouth rinse in the prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases and dental caries. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial effect of chlorhexidine in a controlled release delivery system. The controlled release dispenser comprised a polymeric inner core matrix containing the medicament with an outer vinyl membrane controlling the drug release. The effect on the following bacteria was studied: Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Actinomyces viscosus, Streptococcus mutans, Wolinella recta, Bacteroides gingivalis, Bacteroides intermedius, Eikenella corrodens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Enterobacter cloacae. Chlorhexidine-containing vinyl patches with a diameter of 5.5 mm were placed on blood agar plates containing the various bacteria. The plates were incubated aerobically or anaerobically at 37 degrees C for 24 h or longer, when appropriate, and examined for inhibition of bacterial growth. Distinct zones of inhibition were seen surrounding all vinyl patches on all plates with all bacteria. Thus, the vinyl dispenser appeared to be an effective vehicle for releasing chlorhexidine to a localized area such as the surface of a tooth, a periodontal pocket, or a root canal.

Bacteria

Periapical bacterial plaque in teeth refractory to endodontic treatment.

It has recently been found that bacteria are able to survive and maintain an infectious disease process in periapical lesions of nonvital teeth. The purpose of this study was to examine the surfaces of root tips removed during surgical-endodontic treatment for the presence of microorganisms. A full thickness flap was reflected under strict surgical asepsis and the periapical lesions were enucleated and removed. About 2-3 mm of the root was cut off, rinsed in sterile saline and placed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin. Upon fixation, the root tips were dehydrated, air-dried and given an electrically conducting coat of gold in a vacuum evaporator. The root tips were then studied in a Jeol, JSM-U3 scanning electron microscope, usually operated at 20 kV. The root surfaces were covered with soft tissue, except at the apex of the roots, where a continuous, smooth and structureless coating was seen, apparently adjacent to the apical foramen. At higher magnification a variety of bacterial forms were recognized in the smooth coating. A bacterial plaque was observed in irregularities of the surfaces between fiber bundles and cells and in crypts and holes. The bacteria were held together by an extracellular material and the plaque was dominated by cocci and rods. Fibrillar forms were recognized as well, often with cocci attached to their surfaces.

Bacteria

Demonstration of Bacteroides intermedius in periapical tissue using indirect immunofluorescence microscopy.

The presence of bacteria in periapical lesions of teeth with necrotic pulp has been demonstrated by microbiological sampling of periapical lesions during endodontic surgery. The purpose of this study was to confirm the presence of Bacteroides intermedius in a periapical granuloma using an indirect immunofluorescence technique. Histologic sections of a periapical granuloma were incubated with a rabbit antiserum to B. intermedius. After incubation with secondary antibody (fluorescein-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG), an intense fluorescent staining was observed in areas of the tissue sections. Control tissue sections that were incubated without the antibody remained unstained. The results obtained with the indirect immunofluorescence technique supported our cultural findings that microorganisms, e.g. B. intermedius, were present in the tissue of the periapical granuloma.

Adult

In vivo sealing ability of calcium hydroxide-containing root canal sealers.

It was the purpose of this study to determine the sealing ability of 2 commercially available calcium hydroxide-containing root canal sealers, CRCS and Sealapex. One hundred sixty single-rooted human teeth were used. The clinical crowns were removed and the roots were cleaned mechanically and by immersion for 24 h in 5% sodium hypochlorite. The root canals were then instrumented to size 80 at the apical foramen and the roots were sterilized by gamma-radiation. Under aseptic conditions the root canals were filled with a gutta-percha master cone size 70 and Sealapex (48 roots), CRCS (48 roots), and a zinc oxide-eugenol type sealer, Roth 801 (50 roots). The coronal aspects of the root canals were then sealed with zinc oxide-eugenol cement. In order to bring the roots and root filling materials in contact with tissue and tissue fluids, the roots were implanted subcutaneously in rabbits for 90 days and 1 year. Leakage as demonstrated by penetration of India ink was evaluated using a stereomicroscope. The best results were obtained with CRCS. Significantly less leakage occurred with both calcium hydroxide-containing sealers than with the traditional zinc oxide-eugenol sealer.

Calcium Hydroxide