Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Oil, Oil and 5% Sodium Hypochlorite Against Biofilm Formed on Tooth Substrate.

Context: The usual cause of nonfulfillment of endodontic therapy is the persistence of microorganisms in the root canal system due to ineffective disinfection. is one of the most prevalently isolated microorganisms following a failure in root canal treatments. Sodium hypochlorite is among the most effectively used irrigant solutions but has many shortcomings. Herbal alternatives for sodium hypochlorite might prove to be superior due to their high antimicrobial activity, biocompatibility, and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Aims: This study is aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of oil and oil against 2-week-old and 4-week-old biofilms formed on tooth substrate.

Settings And Design: A pure culture of was grown on brain heart infusion agar, inoculated into brain heart infusion broth, and incubated at 37°C overnight. Single rooted human mandibular premolars were sectioned below cementoenamel junction, enlarged, and vertically sectioned along the midsagittal plane. The samples were then placed in tissue culture wells inoculated with 2 ml of the bacterial solution and incubated at 37°C.

Materials And Methods: Group 1 oil (cardamom), Group 2 oil (ajwain), Group 3 5% sodium hypochlorite, and Group 4 Saline (control) ( = 10). At the end of the 2 and 4 weeks, all groups were treated for 10 min with 3 ml of the respective solutions. Quantitative analysis was performed by serial dilution.

Results: oil and sodium hypochlorite treated teeth showed complete elimination of both the 2-week-old and 4-week-old biofilm. Meanwhile, saline and oil-treated teeth still showed the presence of .

Conclusions: The use of oil as a root canal irrigant solution can be considered as an alternative to sodium hypochlorite.