Dental Caries and irreversible pulpitis are the main causes of children´s odontologic consultation and if these diseases are not treated properly can produce pulpar necrosis, in this case the appropriate treatment is pulpectomy, but the worst scene is the early tooth loss. Treatment currently offered is a compose paste containing antimicrobial substances: Tetracycline, Chloramphenicol and Zinc Oxide Eugenol, together with a dental temporary restoration. There is an extensive knowledge of the antibiotic tetracycline as a teratogenic, so it is recommended to avoid its use in patients younger than 8 years-old because its effects on tooth discoloration and enamel hypoplasia. Clindamycin has a similar antibacterial spectrum to tetracycline, but without adverse effects.
Method:
Antimicrobial activity of clyndamycine was determinded by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Disk Diffusion (Kirby-Bauer Method). Streptococcus mutans and Enterococcus faecalis were cultivated in Muller Hilton Medium with Tetracycline (T), Clindamycin (Cly) or Chloramphenicol (C) for 24h/37°C. Concentrations of antibiotics ranged between 0.5 and 0.8 M.
Result:
Clindamycin has a similar inhibitory action than tetracycline, against S. mutans and E. facecalis growth at 0.5 M concentration as demonstrated in Disk Diffusion and MIC assay.
Conclusion:
Results obtained in the present work, offer a possible replacement of tetracycline by Clindamycin in the paste CTZ, providing us a treatment option, with the same therapeutic effects of the paste avoiding the known adverse effects of tetracycline (enamel hypoplasia and dental pigmentation) and thus to maintain deciduous tooth in an vital and functional state for a longer period of time. Further in vitro studies are needed in order to prove the antimicrobial activity on root canals and to test pigmentation of teeth.