College of Education for Pure Science

In fulfillment of the fourth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (quality education) A master’s thesis entitled “Bacterial Diversity in the Root Canals of Dental Caries Patients Using Metagenomic Analysis Compared to Traditional and Molecular Methods for the Identification of Streptococcus sanguinis” was discussed in the College of Education for Pure Science at the University of Mosul on Monday, June 23, 2025.
This study, the first of its kind locally, presented by the student Muhammad Mustafa Ramadan Muhammad from the Department of Biology aimed to characterize the bacterial diversity in the root canals of dental caries patients by comparing traditional and molecular methods with metagenomic analysis techniques, with a particular focus on Streptococcus sanguinis.
Fifty clinical samples were collected from patients requiring root canal treatment at the Specialized Dental Center at Golan General Hospital. Forty-two samples (85%) showed bacterial growth on a new modified Schaedler medium enriched with hemin and vitamin K. Of these isolates, 19 strains (45.2%) were phenotypically identified as S. sanguinis based on distinctive morphological features such as small, round, white to slightly gray colonies.
The discussion committee was chaired by Assistant Professor Dr. Ghazwan Qasim Hasan, and Assistant Professor Dr. Omar Abdul-Aziz Ahmed and Lecturer Dr. Arwa Hamza Abbas as members, and Assistant Professor Dr. Jassim Fatehi Ali as both member and supervisor.
The Dean of the College presented a letter of thanks and appreciation to Lecturer Dr. Arwa Hamza Abbas from the College of Medicine, University of Nineveh, for her participation in the student’s discussion.
The master’s thesis was accepted. Congratulations to the student and his supervisor for this academic achievement.

Division of Media and Government Communication
College of Education for Pure Science
Monday, June 23, 2025