Antibacterial Effect of Sodium Hypochlorite Gel and Solution on Enterococcus faecalis

The purpose of this study was to compare the antibacterial effect of sodium hypochlorite gel and solution on Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis). The main purpose of a root canal treatment is to eliminate the bacteria and their products. Sodium hypochlorite solution has excellent antibacterial properties, but also some negative features.
Fifty six single root straight canals were instrumented with Ni-Ti rotary files (ProTaper S1,S2,F1,F2,F3) and contaminated with E. faecalis. Then they were divided into four groups. Group A used sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) 5.25% solution, Group B used NaOCl 5.25% gel, Group C used normal saline solution, and Group D used no irrigation. Microbiological samples were collected with sterile paper points. Statistical analysis was performed using MannWhitney U-test. The significance level was set to p In Groups A and B, no sign of E. faecalis presence was observed. Groups C
and D showed presence of E. faecalis in all samples.
NaOCl 5.25% solution and gel showed the same effectiveness. Therefore, NaOCl 5.25% in the form of a gel can be recommended as a safe and controllable intracanal irrigant.