Antimicrobial efficacy of calcium silicate-based bioceramic sealers against Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus – An in vitro study

The main objective of endodontic therapy is to achieve a sterile environment and three-dimensional filling of the root canals. Endodontic sealers play an important role in the obturation of the root canal system as they may provide a seal, which prevents the penetration of bacteria. Sealers are meant to entomb residual bacteria, prevent leakage of nutrients, and ideally possess antibacterial properties. The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the antimicrobial effectiveness of calcium silicate-based bioceramic root canal sealers against Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus using the agar diffusion method. The materials were divided into four groups of nine samples each for both E. faecalis and S. aureus. Group I (control group) – MTA-Fillapex (Angelus), Group II – BioRoot RCS (Septodont), Group III – Bio-C Sealer (Angelus), and Group IV – Dia-Root Bio Sealer (Diadent). To evaluate the antibacterial activity of the samples, the agar diffusion method was utilized. To begin, a bacterial suspension was evenly spread onto sterile Petri dishes using sterile swabs. Four wells of 4 mm diameter were then punched, and the sealers were mixed following the manufacturer’s instructions and placed onto the prepared wells. The Petri dishes were then incubated at 37°C for 72 h. After incubation, the zones of inhibition around each well were measured at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h, and the resulting values were statistically analyzed. The data were analyzed using the ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s test. Calcium silicate-based root canal sealers showed significantly better efficacy than the control group. BioRoot RCS (3.44 ± 1.13 mm) showed maximum antibacterial effect against E. faecalis at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h time intervals. Bio-C Sealer (16.44 ± 1.42 mm) showed maximum antibacterial effect against S. aureus at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h time intervals. The effectiveness of root canal sealants eventually decreased over a period. Based on analysis using the ANOVA test, a statistically significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) was observed between the mean values of antimicrobial efficacy of sealers against both E. faeca lis and S. aureus. The study’s findings lead to the conclusion that BioRoot RCS showed a maximum antibacterial effect against E . faecal is and Bio-C Sealer showed maximum antibacterial effect against S. aureus at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h.