Comparative evaluation of photoactivated disinfection and sonic irrigation as an adjunct to conventional irrigation on Enterococcus faecalis in root canals: An in vitro study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the in vitro study was to compare the antibacterial efficacy of photoactivated disinfection (PAD), sonic irrigation as an adjunct to conventional irrigation against Enterococcus faecalis in vitro. Materials and Methods: A total of 75 extracted teeth were selected and prepared followed by inoculation with strains of E. faecalis, and a preirrigation sample was collected using sterile paper points. These teeth were then divided randomly into three groups for irrigation: Group I (Conventional irrigation), Group II (PAD), and Group III (EndoActivator) followed by postirrigation sample collection using the sterile paper points. The samples were swabbed on blood agar plates and incubated followed by the calculation of colony-forming units (CFU's). Results: The results were statistically analyzed using the SPSS software version 18.0. On comparing the mean values among the groups, the reduction in the number of CFU's after the treatment protocol was highly significant for all groups (P < 0.001). With the preirrigation sample, there is a statistically significant difference in the values of Group I and Group II (P = 0.047). However, in case of postirrigation samples, there is nonsignificant difference between Group II and Group III. Conclusion: PAD using 940 nm diode laser and methylene blue and endoactivator were more effective than sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) in reducing E. faecalis counts.

Keywords

• antibacterial efficacy
• enterococcus faecalis
• photoactivated disinfection
• root canal irrigants
• sodium hypochlorite