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Ecology and Physiology of Root Canal Microbial Biofilm Communities

  • Chapter
The Root Canal Biofilm

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Biofilms ((BIOFILMS,volume 9))

Abstract

Microbial communities formed in root canals of teeth constitute the heart of the infected root canal ecosystem, and yet their establishment and development remains challenging to measure and predict. Identifying the ecological and physiological drivers of microbial community colonization, including resistance (insensitivity to disturbance) and resilience (the rate of recovery after disturbance), is important for understanding their response to antimicrobial treatment. This chapter will provide an overview of the ecological and physiological factors that are relevant for root canal microbial communities in terms of their establishment and endurance in root canal ecosystems. Initially, insights from ecological and physiological parameters that are useful for defining and measuring activities in root canal biofilm communities will be reviewed. The ecological progress of root canal infections will be discussed in terms of three ecological processes: (1) selection of successful root canal colonizers by habitat filtering, (2) selection of resistant bacteria to major disturbances in the environment (e.g., provoked by antimicrobial therapy in endodontics), and (3) resilience of the community after the disturbance. Finally, current methods for analyzing these ecological processes will be described, as these are key elements for identifying the biological features of individual microorganisms and of root canal microbial communities.

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Acknowledgments

The helpful suggestions of G. Bergenholtz are greatly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Endodontics, The Swedish Academy for Advanced Clinical Dentistry, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Luis E. Chávez de Paz

  2. Division of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, University of Leeds, and Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK

    Philip D. Marsh

Authors
  1. Luis E. Chávez de Paz
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Correspondence to Luis E. Chávez de Paz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Swedish Academy for Advanced Clinical Dentistry, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Luis E. Chávez de Paz

  2. Endodontology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA

    Christine M. Sedgley

  3. Department of Clinical Sciences Discipline of Endodontics, The University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Anil Kishen

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Chávez de Paz, L.E., Marsh, P.D. (2015). Ecology and Physiology of Root Canal Microbial Biofilm Communities. In: Chávez de Paz, L., Sedgley, C., Kishen, A. (eds) The Root Canal Biofilm. Springer Series on Biofilms, vol 9. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-47415-0_1

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