The anti-bacterial efficacy of plant extracts against Enterococcus faecalis

Brief Background: The main requisites for an endodontic treatment to succeed are adequate cleaning and shaping of the root canals. Several conventional root canal irrigants are in use to decrease the number of microbes in the root canal system. Enterococci are the most frequently isolated organisms in failed root canals. Aim: To compare the anti-bacterial efficacy of herbal root canal irrigating solutions with conventional irrigants. Materials and Methods: The test solutions and tooth samples were prepared. The sectioned tooth samples were inoculated in the bacteria, incubated for 24 hours and biofilm collected. Another sample of biofilm was collected after delivering of the irrigating solutions. Bothe the biofilm samples were checked for the reduction in the bacterial growth. Results: The present study was conducted to evaluate the anti-microbial efficacy of herbal irrigating solutions and compare them with the conventional irrigating solutions. Chlorhexidine (CHX), Ocimum sanctum (OS) and Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) showed no statistical significance whereas the other intergroup differences were statistically significant. Summary and Conclusion: OS showed a similar anti-bacterial efficacy to CHX and NaOCl, however, further research needs to be conducted in the area. The use of herbal alternatives may prove to be advantageous given the several unfavourable adverse effects of NaOCl and CHX. Key Words: Antibacterial, Chlorhexidine, Herbal irrigants, Ocimum, Root canal irrigants.