Bacteriologic study of the contents of radicular cysts

Abstract

Radicular cysts are, most often, oral tissue cysts. The basis for their development are the remains of Hertwig's epithelial sheath, which is stimulated to proliferate by infectious agents, mostly periapical granuloma or pulp necrosis. The cyst contents can be liquid, either clear or milky-white, or thick and yellowish-caseous pus. Bacteriological and histopathological researches have shown that development of radicular cysts from periapical lesions is a consequence of penetration of normal bacterial flora of the oral cavity. The study has bacteriologically examined contents of 50 radicular cysts. They were operated between 1993 and 1995 at the Department of Oral Surgery of the Outpatient Health Care Centre Banja Luka. Pathological substrate of the cyst was punctured by a sterile needle and bacteriologically examined at the Microbiological Laboratory of the Clinical Centre in Banja Luka. Radicular cysts contents most often consisted of: alpha-hemolytic streptococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphyilococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus group B and alpha-hemolytic Streptococcus. It is concluded that normal oral cavity flora is present in the cysts contents, the infection penetrated through the root canal to periapex, where, due to the course of time, radicular cyst develops from periapical granuloma.