Effectiveness of calcium hydroxide-based intracanal medicaments against Enterococcus faecalis

To evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of calcium hydroxide-based intracanal medicaments against Enterococcus faecalis.

One hundred and six single-rooted human teeth were inoculated with E. faecalis (ATCC 29212) and incubated in an microaerophilic environment for 21 days. Teeth were divided according to the medicaments and period: G1 - Calen (7 days); G2 - Calen (14 days); G3 - Calen/camphorated paramonochlorophenol (CMCP) (7 days); G4 - Calen/CMCP (14 days); G5 - Calen/0.4% chlorhexidine (CHX) (7 days); G6 - Calen/0.4% CHX (14 days); G7 - Calen/1% CHX (7 days); G8 - Calen/1% CHX (14 days); G9 - chemo-mechanical preparation with no medication and G10 - no chemo-mechanical preparation and no medication. Microbial samples were harvested immediately after removal of the intracanal dressing and 7 days later. Data were subjected to anova (P < 0.05).

All medicaments were associated with a reduction in E. faecalis after removal of the dressing (post-medication harvest). However, all specimens were associated with an increase in CFU mL(-1) values after 7 days (final harvest). Calen/CMCP and Calen/CHX had the lowest CFU mL(-1) values (P < 0.05).

In this laboratory study using extracted teeth all calcium hydroxide-based medicaments were able to significantly reduce the CFU mL(-1) values of E. faecalis in the root canal system.