Abstract
Dental fractures resulting in pulp exposure will lead to an endodontic infection with microbes from the oral cavity. However, data on the endodontic microbial composition in veterinary dentistry is lacking. The aim of this study was to examine the microbiome of naturally occurring primary endodontic infections in client-owned dogs. The endodontic microbiome of 10 non-vital teeth with exposed pulp cavities was assessed using a 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach. The results were compared to the microbiome of the subgingival plaque of the same teeth. Analysis revealed an abundant mixed microflora of a comparable richness and diversity and with mostly the same phyla obtained from sulcal and endodontic samples. However, further analysis revealed significant differences between sulcal and endodontic samples in the relative abundance of the most abundant phyla and genera, with the relative abundance of Bacteriodetes being significantly higher in endodontic samples. Although each sample presented a particular profile regarding the genera identified, Bacteroides was the most abundant genus in the endodontic samples. Snowella was also significantly more abundant in endodontic samples, while Porphyromonas and Fusobacterium were significantly more abundant in sulcal samples. We confirmed that the microbiome of the diseased endodontic system is comparably abundant with microorganisms to the healthy subgingival plaque indicating that previous culture-based studies of primary endodontic infections in dogs underestimated the richness and diversity of the endodontic microbiota.
Highlights
Dental fractures in dogs are very common, often resulting in exposure of the dental pulp to the oral cavity [1]
The aims of this study were to examine the microbiome of naturally occurring primary endodontic infections in dogs using a 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach, and to compare the results to the already well-characterized microbiome of the healthy subgingival plaque [2, 5]
The relative abundance of Bacteriodetes was significantly different between groups of samples, showing higher relative abundance in endodontic samples
Summary
Dental fractures in dogs are very common, often resulting in exposure of the dental pulp to the oral cavity [1]. The oral cavity and the gingival sulcus harbor highly diverse microbiota that can act as a source of microorganisms that can infect the compromised endodontic system [2,3,4,5]. Primary endodontic infections are polymicrobial in nature and well-documented in humans [4, 6, 7], but much less so in dogs [8,9,10]. Due to the high incidence of tooth fractures [1], naturally occurring primary endodontic infections are of great medical and welfare concern in veterinary medicine. A thorough understanding of the endodontic microbial composition and the resulting host response is essential [11]
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