Enterococcus faecalis, a dental point of view

Abstract

Enterococcus faecalis is a bacterium prevalent in periodontal diseases and root canal infections. Objective: To analyze the existing literature about the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and clinical manifestations of E. faecalis. Methodology: PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases were searched with the following keywords: E. faecalis, bacterial resistance, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatments, and clinical manifestations and the information obtained was used to generate this review. Results: The oral cavity may constitute a reservoir for virulent strains of E. faecalis, which may have both biofilm formation capacity and antibiotics resistance. The diagnosis is by culture or PCR analysis on duct samples. The clinical manifestations are periapical lesions, pain on percussion and/or palpation, and radiographically deficient endodontics. The treatment for the elimination of E. faecalis consists in the instrumentation and the irrigation with NaOCl. Conclusions: In dentistry, continuous research on E. faecalis and its elimination from the oral cavity may improve results in root canal treatments.