ReviewFrontiers in oral health2021
Microbiological Aspects of Root Canal Infections and Disinfection Strategies: An Update Review on the Current Knowledge and Challenges.
Review in Frontiers in oral health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 131 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
131 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 205 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of the GentleWave system in root canal disinfection: a systematic review.BMC oral health · 2026Pooled it
- Antimicrobial additives in resin-based endodontic sealers: a scoping review of antimicrobial efficacy, physicochemical properties, and cytotoxicity.Frontiers in dental medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy in endodontic infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC oral health · 2025Pooled it
- Smear layer removal and antimicrobial efficacy of chitosan as a root canal irrigant: a systematic review of in-vitro studies.Odontology · 2025Pooled it
- Antibacterial effectiveness of novel polyherbal gel, chlorhexidine gluconate, and calcium hydroxide as intracanal medicaments in infected root canals using real-time PCR: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in dental medicine · 2026Trial
- The effect of apical preparation size and passive ultrasonic activation on microbial load in root canals with periapical lesions.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Efficacy of Smear Layer Removal at the Apical One-Third of the Root Using Different Protocols of Erbium-Doped Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (Er:YAG) Laser.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Trial
- Protocols to evaluate the antibacterial and irrigation efficacy of new root canal irrigants: A systematic review of ex vivo studies.The Japanese dental science review · 2026Review
- Laboratory investigation of intra-tooth variability in microbial communities from clinically isolated root canal and filling material.Clinical oral investigations · 2026Article
- Antibacterial effect of chamomile extract irrigant activated with diode laser against Enterococcus faecalis.Lasers in medical science · 2026Article
- Azithromycin in Dentistry: From Systemic Antibiotic to a Candidate for Local Therapeutic Delivery.Pharmaceutics · 2026Review
- Article
- Synthesis, Characterisation and Antibacterial Activity of Reduced Graphene Oxide-Cuprous Oxide Nanocomposite Against Dual Species Biofilms Using Clsm.Australian endodontic journal : the journal of the Australian Society of Endodontology Inc · 2026Article
- Prevalence and determinants of clinical and radiographic outcomes of endodontic treatment at Jimma Medical Center: an ambispective single-cohort study.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- From Caries to Periodontal Breakdown: A Biological and Clinical Continuum Linking Cariology, Operative Dentistry, Endodontics, and Periodontology.Dentistry journal · 2026Review
- Impact of electrode distance, axial position, and energization time on cauterization of root canal isthmuses using high-frequency current.Clinical oral investigations · 2026Article
- Comparative Evaluation of Polymeric and Metal Ultrasonic Tips for the Removal of Calcium Hydroxide From Root Canals.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026Article
- Dentinal tubule penetration of sodium hypochlorite and super-oxidized water using diode laser and passive ultrasonic activation: an in vitro confocal laser scanning microscopy study.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Evaluating Pharmacokinetics and Toxicity of Potential Therapeutics Against Enterococcus faecalis in Endodontic Pathologies.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026Article
- Biological, antimicrobial, and apical tissue dissolution effects of ambroxol hydrochloride as an irrigant for regenerative endodontics: an in vitro study.BMC oral health · 2026Article
71 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The oral cavity is the habitat of several hundreds of microbial taxa that have evolved to coexist in multispecies communities in this unique ecosystem. By contrast, the internal tissue of the tooth, i.e., the dental pulp, is a physiologically sterile connective tissue in which any microbial invasion is a pathological sign. It results in inflammation of the pulp tissue and eventually to pulp death and spread of inflammation/infection to the periradicular tissues. Over the past few decades, substantial emphasis has been placed on understanding the pathobiology of root canal infections, including the microbial composition, biofilm biology and host responses to infections. To develop clinically effective treatment regimens as well as preventive therapies, such extensive understanding is necessary. Rather surprisingly, despite the definitive realization that root canal infections are biofilm mediated, clinical strategies have been focused more on preparing canals to radiographically impeccable levels, while much is left desired on the debridement of these complex root canal systems. Hence, solely focusing on "canal shaping" largely misses the point of endodontic treatment as the current understanding of the microbial aetiopathogenesis of apical periodontitis calls for the emphasis to be placed on "canal cleaning" and chemo-mechanical disinfection. In this review, we dissect in great detail, the current knowledge on the root canal microbiome, both in terms of its composition and functional characteristics. We also describe the challenges in root canal disinfection and the novel strategies that attempt to address this challenge. Finally, we provide some critical pointers for areas of future research, which will serve as an important area for consideration in Frontiers in Oral Health.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.