Comparison of Antimicrobial Activity of Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCI) 2.5%, Microemulsion of Myrtus 10%, Microemulsion of Thyme 0.6% on the Enterococcus Faecalis After Root Canal Filling

 The success of endodontic treatment depends on the complete elimination of pathogenic bacteria inside the root canal. Enterococcus faecalis, a gram-positive, pathogenic, and anaerobic cocci, are the primary etiology of root canal infection in treated and untreated teeth and are highly associated with endodontic treatment failure. This study aimed to compare the antimicrobial activity of Sodium hypochlorite 2.5%, microemulsion of Myrtus 10%, and microemulsion of Thyme 0.6% on the E. faecalis after root canal filling.

In this experimental study, 25 extracted single canal human anterior teeth were collected, and their crowns were cut. Then after washing and cleaning, and filling, the sterilization was done using an autoclave. Then, except 5 teeth (negative control group), the teeth were smeared with E. faecalis and then divided into 5 groups randomly represented the irrigation by Sodium hypochlorite 2.5%, microemulsion of Myrtus 10%, and microemulsion of Thyme 0.6%, with a positive control group and negative control group. The teeth were filled with gutta-percha and then incubated in an incubator for 90 days at a temperature of 37°C. Finally, the comparison of CFU in the groups due to abnormal data distribution was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test.

The Ethics Committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences approved this study (Code: IR.ARAKMU.REC.1398.297).

 According to the results of this study, the correlation between the groups of cultured teeth was not significant(P>0.05). The specimens washed with microemulsion of the Thyme 0.6% had the highest positive number of cultures; the specimens washed by Sodium hypochlorite 2.5% had the lowest number of cultures.

 This study showed that no statistically significant difference exists in their antimicrobial activity after root canal therapy after the use of different wash solutions.