Study of invasion and colonization of E. faecalis in microtubes by a novel device

Enterococcus faecalis ( E. faecalis ) is a species that has frequently been isolated from root canal of patients suffering from persistent periodontitis. To a great degree, the resistance of E. faecalis to irrigating solutions and intracanal medicaments is due to its invasion into the dentinal tubules. In this study, we developed a device to observe the dynamic process of the bacterial invasion into microtubes. According to the diameter of the dentinal tubules and other microstructures in the root canals, we designed four different size microtubes with different lengths in this device. As expected, E. faecalis is able to steadily grow in this device and penetrate into the microtubes, and a continuous observation is achieved. We found that the depth and speed of bacterial penetration, the extent of colonization and the arrangement of the bacteria in the microtubes are strongly influenced by the size of the microtube. The length of the microtube also influences the speed and depth of the bacterial invasion. Bacteria in microtubes with a similar diameter to the real dentinal tubules showed a discontinuous distribution, which is consistent with the final bacterial distribution in the native dentinal tubules. Considering the device’s advantages such as its ability to provide real-time observations, its ability to be modified as necessary, and its standardized operation, it has great potential to be widely used as a platform for the observation of the interaction of different bacteria during an invasion course and to test the efficacy of new antibacterial agents in dentistry.