Culture of Methanogenic Archaea From Necrotic Dental Pulp

Objectives: To successfully cultivate methanogenic archaea from necrotic dental pulp in order to confirm their presence and better understand their involvement in endodontic pathologies.
Methods: Teeth extracted for medical reasons were collected after approval by the ethics committee. The teeth were disinfected and sectioned and the necrotic pulp was removed and cultured under specific conditions for the growth of methanogenic archaea. Controls consisted of pulp from healthy wisdom teeth.
Results: Methanobrevibacter oralis and a very recently discovered and poorly described species Methanobrevibacter massiliense were cultivated from necrotic dental pulps.
Conclusions: Methanogenic archaea are clearly involved in endodontic pathologies, which could have consequences on prescription habits and endodontic treatments.