Date of Graduation

2007

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

Committee Chair

John G. Thomas

Abstract

Traditionally, endodontic therapy has maintained very high success rates; however when teeth are obturated with a positive culture in the root canal, the success rate of treatment is only 68% (50). Therefore, complete elimination of bacteria from the root canal system is a crucial aspect of endodontic therapy. Studies consistently show that success rates for teeth that were necrotic before treatment are lower than cases with vital pulps. Consequently, efforts must be made to find a solution or method that more consistently disinfects the canals prior to obturation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new antimicrobial cationic peptide against two strains of E. faecalis – a traditional endodontic pathogen. The microbes were cultured and treated with one of three concentrations (1.5 µM, 2.0 µM, 2.5 µM) of the peptide, doxycycline, or PBS as a control. After a thirty minute incubation period, the solutions were either spread or dotted onto agar plates for dilutions of 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3. The following day, colonies on each plate were counted and recorded. These data were averaged for each treatment, and an ANOVA was performed. The results show statistical differences between each of the treatments, however not to an extent that would imply clinical efficacy. Further research is warranted to evaluate the potential uses of eCAPs in the field of endodontics.

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