Abstract

Endodontic (root canal) infections are generally considered to be caused by the invasion of microorganisms which destroy pulp tissue and extend to the periapical region. No definitive study has identified a specific bacterium or group of bacteria as etiological agents. We quantitively measured antibodies present in the serum of 30 normal individuals and patients with either chronic (n = 30) or acute (n = 30) periapical lesions with the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgG and IgM against 11 oral microorganisms routinely isolated from such lesions. The results were analyzed statistically. Analysis of variance of the IFA and ELISA results for IgG and IgM indicated a significant difference in antibody levels against 3, 8, and 6 microorganisms, respectively, between these groups. ELISA results were more sensitive than the IFA measurements. ELISA IgM results showed significant elevated antibody levels in the acute lesion population against 6 microorganisms, when compared to the normal control or chronic lesions groups. This study indicates that the etiology involved in the development of endodontic lesions is probably multiple in nature instead of being caused by a single organism.

LLU Discipline

Microbiology

Department

Microbiology

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

James D. Kettering

Second Advisor

Benjamin Lau

Third Advisor

Mahmoud Torabinejad

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1987

Date (Title Page)

6-1987

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Periapical Diseases; Endodontics; Antibodies, Bacterial

Type

Thesis

Page Count

v; 46

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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