Silver Nanoparticles as an Intracanal Medicament: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) release Ag ions with potent bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effects. They have shown promising results as an intracanal medicament for removing Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), a resistant bacterium associated with root canal failures. This review summarizes the role of AgNPs as an intracanal medicament. Original research articles on AgNPs as an intracanal medicament were searched in databases such as MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, and Embase, resulting in 24 studies. They showed that AgNPs effectively eliminated E. faecalis and reduced postoperative pain following root canal therapy. However, these effects should be further verified through clinical trials as most of the studies were in vitro.