Bacteriology of acute periapical abscess in children

Abstract

Aspiration of periapical abscess was aseptically performed in 12 children. Patients' median age was nine years (range: 5 to 16 years), and eight were males. All aspirates yielded bacterial growth when cultured for aerobes and anaerobes. Anaerobes were isolated in all patients; in eight patients (67%), the anaerobes were the only organism isolated, and in four (33%), they were mixed with aerobes. There were 53 anaerobic isolates (4.4 per specimen); 20 Bacteroides species (including 9 B melaninogenicus; 3 B oralis; and 3 B corrodens): 17 anaerobic grampositive cocci; five fusobacterium species; and three Actinomyces species. There were 6 aerobic isolates (.5 per specimen); 3 Stretococcus salivarius, 2 alpha hemolytic streptococci, and one gamma hemolytic streptoccus. Beta lactamase production was noticed in four isolates recovered from four patients (33%). These were three of nine B melaninogenicus, and one of three B oralis. Our findings indicate the major role of anaerobic organisms in the polymicrobial etiology of periapical abscesses in children.