Is formocresol effective on periodontal pathogens in periodontal endodontic lesions?

Objective: This study aims to examine the effects of endodontic therapy with/without formocresol on periodontal pocket flora in primary periodontal secondary endodontic lesions. Study design: A total of 12 patients with clinically and radiologically diagnosed periodontal-endodontic lesions were enrolled to the study. Periodontal pathologic pockets of the patients were sampled as 36 aliquots using Gracey curettes, before the initiation of the root canal therapy (RCT), before the second session in which the RCT was continued and, again, before the third session in which the RCT was continued, by one-week intervals. During the RCT, steril cotton was put in the pulp chamber in the first session and formocresol-impregnated cotton pellet was put in the pulp chamber in the second session. Quantitative values of Fusobacterium nucleatum, Campylobacter rectus, Tannerella Forsythia, Provetella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomicescomitans were examined using Polymerase Chain Reaction methodology. Results: In the samples obtained during the therapeutic sessions, no statistically significant difference was observed for the changes seen in the number of microorganisms (p>0.05). Conclusion: The procedures of RCT and the use of formocresol had no short-term effect on the number of periodontopathogens present in periodontal pocket flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]