Study of bacterial levels and endotoxin content in reversible pulpitis caries

Yongchun Chang^1#, Zhengmin Zhu^1#, Naibo Shen², Gang Zhao^3*

¹Department of stomatology, Jinan Shizhong District People’s Hospital, Jinan, Shandong 250000, China - ²Department of stomatology, Jinan Seventh People’s Hospital, Jinan, Shandong 251400, China - ³Department of stomatology, Jinan hospital of integrated traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 271100, China

Introduction: To determine the bacterial diversity and endotoxin levels in deep dental caries of teeth presenting with symptoms of reversible pulpitis.

Materials: Twenty patients presenting with deep dentin caries who attended our dental clinic were included in this study.

Methods: Twenty patients with reversible pulpitis caries who visited our hospital were selected and divided into two groups of 10 each according to whether they had clinical symptoms or not. Caries dentin samples were collected with a sterile and pyrogen-free digging spoon. Bacterial profiles were determined by the checkerboard method. Endotoxin content was analyzed by kinetic chromogenic LAL. The data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney for bacteria and two-way ANOVA for endotoxin.

Results: No differences in bacteria were found between superficial and deep dentin layers. The surface of symptomatic teeth contained more Lactobacillus, Capnocytophaga sputigena, and Leptothrix buccalis. Endotoxins were found in both superficial and deep layers of carious lesions in all teeth with reversible pulpitis, with significantly higher levels of endotoxins in the superficial layers compared to the deep layers (p<0.001). In addition, significantly higher concentrations of endotoxin were present in the superficial and deep layers of carious lesions in symptomatic teeth compared to asymptomatic teeth (P<0.05).

Conclusion: The surface of symptomatic teeth contained more Lactobacillus, Capnocytophaga sputigena, and Leptothrix buccalis. Also, the endotoxin content was higher in the teeth of symptomatic patients with reversible pulpitis caries.