Rita Noites
Disinfection protocols and biofilm approach in endodontics
- Invited Assistant Professor of the Catholic University of Portugal, CRB-Viseu
- PhD in Dental Medicine, Faculty of Dental Medicine of University of Porto
- DDs in Dental Medicine from FCS-UFP
- Member of Portuguese Society of Endodontics
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde (CIIS) – Catholic University of Portugal
Nationality: Portugal
Scientific areas: Endodontics
8 of november, from 10h00 until 10h30
Auditório B
Conference summary
The aim of Endodontic treatment is to prevent the appearance of apical periodontitis, or in cases where it is present, to create conditions for the regeneration of affected tissues. In order to do this, it is necessary to disinfect the root canal system in order to eliminate the microorganisms present. These microorganisms are organized in a structured cellular community called biofilm, this being their mode of protection against antimicrobial agents.
To promote the disinfection of the root canal system, by breaking the balance of the microbial ecosystem, substances with local chemical properties are used as auxiliary to the biomechanical preparation.
However, many of these substances only reduce the burden of bacteria present in the root canal, but hardly eliminate them altogether. This difficulty in the total removal of the bacteria is attributed to the reduction of the susceptibility of the same when these are in the form of biofilm.
In order to overcome these limitations, several types of antimicrobials and disinfection strategies will be addressed.