Antibacterial Treatment in Periodontal and Endodontic Therapy, 2nd Edition

The fundamental element of systematic periodontal or endodontic therapy is the removal of bacterial biofilms from the outer and inner surfaces of the teeth. In some cases, the use of an antibiotic that is effective against the individual germ spectrum may be justified in order to control disease processes and prevent the spread of inflammatory processes to other areas of the body. However, the possible side effects on the whole organism or even the development of resistance must be considered. Alternative approaches, such as antimicrobial photochemical, photodynamic, and photothermal methods, use laser energy to induce a toxic effect on microorganisms. In the context of the treatment of periodontitis of different stages and severity, as well as endodontic therapy measures, such methods show promising results, especially in adjuvant application to conventional approaches, and could therefore be a useful complement to existing periodontal and endodontic antimicrobial treatment measures. This Special Issue focuses on actual studies on the use of antimicrobial therapy approaches in periodontal and endodontic therapy.