Microbial Contamination of the Outer Surface of X-ray Films

Objectives Infection control is one of the most important aspects of dentistry. Since intraoral radiographic films are directly in contact with the oral environment, microbial contamination may transmit infectious diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of microbial contamination of intraoral radiographic films and compare the probable microbial contamination of two intraoral radiographic film brands available in the Iranian market. Methods in this in vitro, experimental study, 900 radiographic films of two commercial brands, i.e. Intra X-ray and Carestream films were placed in aerobic, anaerobic, and fungal culture media immediately after removal from the packaging in sterile conditions. The samples were transferred to the respective culture media after incubation. The cultured bacteria were Gram-stained, and microscopically observed. The percentage of the contaminated intraoral radiographic films and the type of microbial contamination were reported. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test. Results Of all, 32.6% of the Carestream films and 44.6% of Intra X-ray films were infected by aerobic microorganisms, mostly Bacillus. In the anaerobic culture, the turbidity of the medium indicated the possible presence of microorganisms. In the fungal culture, no fungal hyphae were observed microscopically. Conclusion The results of this study showed that intraoral films cannot be considered sterile. Intra X-ray radiographic films were significantly more contaminated than Care stream radiographic films

Evaluate the prevalence of microbial complexes in endodontic-periodontal lesion: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and aim: the aim of the present study was to Evaluate the Prevalence of Microbial Complexes in Endodontic-Periodontal Lesions. Method: Present study is a systematic review and meta-analysis based on PRISMA 2020 Checklist. Databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Embase were searched for systematic literature until 30 November 2022.  A 95% confidence interval for effect size with the random effect model and REML method were calculated. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata/MP v.17 software. Result: In the initial review, duplicate studies were eliminated and abstracts of 228 studies were reviewed, the full text of 53 studies was reviewed by two authors, and finally, 8 studies were selected.  The overall prevalence of orange complex in root canals was 42% (OR, 42% 95% CI 5%, 92%) with low heterogeneity (I2=0%; P =1.00). The overall prevalence of orange complex in periodontal pockets was 34% (OR, 34% 95% CI 0%, 83%) with low heterogeneity (I2=0%; P =1.00). Conclusion: Based on the present meta-analysis, there are similarities between a root canal and periodontal pocket microorganisms in terms of prevalence