Microbiology of Endodontic Infections

Microorganisms play an unequivocal role in infecting root canal system. Endodontic infections are different from the other oral infections in the fact that they occur in an environment which is closed to begin with since the root canal system is an enclosed one, surrounded by hard tissues all around [1,2]. Most of the diseases of dental pulp and periradicular tissues are associated with microorganisms [3]. Endodontic infections occur and progress when the root canal system gets exposed to the oral environment by one reason or the other and simultaneously when there is fall in the body’s immune response [4]. To begin with, the microbes are confined to the intra-radicular region when the ingress is from a carious lesion or a traumatic injury to the coronal tooth structure. However, the issue if not taken care of, ultimately leads to the egress of pathogens and their by-products from the apical foramen to the periradicular tissues.