EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL EFFICACY OF CHITOSAN, CHLORHEXIDINE, APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AND SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE ON ENTEROCOCCUS FAECALIS BIOFILM IN PRIMARY TEETH: AN IN VITRO STUDY.

Insha Showkat*, Seema Chaudhary , Ashish Sinha, Mohd Ghaus Ali and Neha Priya

ABSTRACT

Endodontic infections are polymicrobial, so disinfecting the root canal system is one of the major objectives in endodontics. Enterococcus faecalis has unique capacity to survive with limited means and form a biofilm. Aim: This study aims to compare the efficacy of two herbal ingredients with sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine. Materials and Method: 20 freshly extracted deciduous teeth were collected and decoronated. The autoclaved specimens placed in tissue culture wells exposing the root canal surface to E. faecalis to form a biofilm. At the end of 3rd week, all groups were irrigated with 3 ml of test solutions and control for 10 minutes. The samples were then scraped with a scalpel, inoculated on tryptone soy agar plates and incubated for 24 hours at 37ºC. The plates were then subjected to digital colony counter and evaluated for E. faecalis growth. The growth was statistically analysed by ANOVA & paired t test. Result: Chitosan was found to be as efficacious as sodium hypochlorite. The use of natural alternatives as root canal irrigation solutions might prove to be advantageous considering several unfavorable properties of NaOCl.

Keywords: chitosan, sodium hypochlorite, apple cider vinegar, photomedicinal solutions.