Bacterial Contamination of Gutta-Percha Points From Different Brands and the Efficacy of a Chairside Disinfection Protocol.

Objective: To evaluate the bacterial contamination of different brands of Gutta-Percha (GP) points routinely used in clinical practice and the efficacy of a chairside disinfection protocol with sodium hypochlorite.

Methods: GP points (n=240), in sizes A, B, C, D, K15, K20, K25, K30, K35, K40, F1, F2, F3 (Dentsply®, Proclinic®, ProTaper® and R&S®), were randomly sampled from commercial packages already in use. These were added directly to Fluid Thioglycolate Medium (one GP point per tube) and incubated at 37ºC for 21 days.