A review of antibiotic therapies for odontogenic infections with pulpal origin

The dental biofilm is a complex bacterial ecosystem that undergoes evolution، maturing and development، and thus leads to odontogenic infections. These infections often follow a chronic course of evolution. However، if the virulence of pathogenic bacteria increases and it becomes associated with changes in the host immune system، it may lead to exacerbation and spreading of infection to other areas of the body. It''s important in treatment of odontogenic infection that it'' s etiologic factor is evaluated at first so that the infection is limited by mechanical debridement through surgery and/or antimicrobial therapy. Surgical techniques primarily have a few effects (by reducing the number of bacteria and the size of lesion) and if they are used alone، they primarily lead to improvement of clinical symptoms that in most cases is considered as therapeutic success mistakenly، but ultimately odontopathogen may persist and cause chronic infection or infection recurrence. Therefore، microbiological examinations may be helpful in introducing of a more reliable treatment method with more precise prognosis of infection recurrence and also selection of the most effective antibiotic. Antibacterial drugs are able to change the bacterial composition of biofilm quantitatively and qualitatively، and also can penetrate to regions that aren''t accessible through mechanical debridement and can be effective. However، incorrect selection of antibacterial drugs can lead to form resistant bacterial species in the biofilm and cause side effects. For decreasing of this risk and obtaining of maximum effect from these therapeutic drugs، it''s necessary to know the clinical usages of antibacterial drugs and to aware of the effects of various antibiotics on bacteria that cause odontogenic infections.