1.1 Introduction
Enterococcus faecalis is a non-spore-forming fermentative, facultatively anaerobic Gram-positive coccus. It is an opportunistic pathogen associated with oral infections including marginal periodontitis, infected root canals and periradicular abscesses (Rôças et al., 2004). Its association with treatment failure in root-filled teeth is reported to be significant (Rôças et al., 2004). Despite having limited ability to compete in primary infections, E. faecalis has been shown to be more persistent in chronic and asymptomatic infections. Its durability in response to disinfection agents and mechanisms of long- term survival in adverse conditions has been noted (Rôças et al., 2004).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
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