Endodontic Resident West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia, United States
Cleaning and shaping of the root canal system is recognized as being one of the most important stages in endodontic treatment. While most attention is paid to the mechanical aspects of a root canal treatment, irrigation an essential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effect of various solutions of irrigants on E. faecalis.
Methods: 200 µL of E. faecalis was pipetted into an Innovatech 96 well hydroxyapatite coated peg plate. After 24 hours, the biofilms were exposed to Endocyn, Vashe, Ozone, 6% Na0Cl, and 8.25% Na0Cl for 30 seconds. Each hydroxyapatite was placed into 1.5 ml centrifuge tubes and diluted. The Invitrogen’s Molecular Probes LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability Counting Kit was used to prepare the final samples for analysis using flow cytometry.
Results: There was a significant difference in antimicrobial effectiveness among the five irrigant groups and positive controls. Results showed the greatest decrease in the number of live bacteria remaining when exposed to 6% Na0Cl and 8.25% Na0Cl (p= < .0001). The smallest decrease in bacteria remaining was after exposure to Ozone (p=0.01). There was no significant antibacterial difference between the 6% Na0Cl and 8.25% Na0Cl groups (p=0.999).
Conclusion: The results of this investigation showed all irrigants possessed antibacterial properties against E. faecalis. All irrigants were effective against E. faecalis. 6% Na0Cl and 8.25% Na0Cl demonstrated the greatest antibacterial effect against E. faecalis compared to other irrigants.
