Dentinal tubule invasion and adherence by Enterococcus faecalis

Abstract

AIM: To investigate dentinal tubule invasion and the predilection of Enterococcus faecalis for dentinal tubule walls. METHODOLOGY: The invasion of dentinal tubules in extracted human teeth by E. faecalis was measured ex vivo after 8 weeks of incubation. The canal walls of 16 root sections were either intact or instrumented with or without smear layer present. Extent and maximum depth of tubule invasion were assessed histologically and compared between groups. In the adherence study, 44 vertically split root samples were prepared to expose longitudinally aligned dentinal tubules and fractured orthodentine (OD). Surfaces were exposed to E. faecalis (erythromycin resistant strain, JH2-2 carryin..