Mechanisms involved in the resistance of Enterococcus faecalis to calcium hydroxide

Abstract

Introduction: The species Enterococcus foecolis has been recovered in a high proportion of endodontic failures - approximately one-third of failed cases with recoverable bacteria contain monoinfections of the microorganism. Eradication of E. faecolis from an infected root canal is difficult. which means that it is a significant clinical problem in endodontic treatment. E. foecolis is known to be resistant to the alkaline bactericidal effect of calcium hydroxide, yet the survival mechanisms of E. foecolis that enable it to tolerate exposure to the high pH of calcium hydroxide are poorly understood. Because endodontic treatment involves repeated or alternate use of antimicrobial agents at vari..