The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the infecting dose on bacterial colonization in root canal systems (RCS) and translocation to the submandibular lymph node (SML) of gnotobiotic (germ-free) mice. RCS were inoculated with 10(2) and 10(1) colony-forming units (CFU) of Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 4083) or 10(5), 10(4), 10(3), and 10(2) CFU of Prevotella nigrescens (ATCC 33563). E. faecalis implanted in 83.3% of the cases, for both inocula. Translocation was detected in 58.3% of lymph nodes for the 10(2) CFU inoculum and in 33.3% of lymph nodes for the 10(1) CFU inoculum. P. nigrescens implanted in 25%, 16.7%, 8.3%, and 0%, for the 10(5), 10(4), 10(3), and 10(2) CFU inocula, respectively, and did not translocate at any of the concentrations used. These results indicate that E. faecalis was able to implant in the RCS and translocate to the SML, whereas P. nigrescens implanted in lower percentages in the RCS and did not translocate to the SML.