Indigenous irrigants as potent antimicrobials in endodontic treatment: An in vitro study

The success of an endodontic treatment depends on effective disinfection and complete sealing of root canal. The irrigants that are currently used in the field of endodontics have certain limitations, so the quest for an ideal root canal irrigant continues. Nowadays, the use of herbal extracts such as Triphala and liquorice are used for their potent antimicrobial activity and less side effects.

This study aims (1) to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of Triphala and liquorice against Enterococcus faecalis.(2) To determine any cytotoxic effect on isolated human periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts.

The antimicrobial efficacy of Triphala and liquorice extracts was analyzed at different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/ml) using the well-diffusion method. Three percent sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and distilled water were taken as positive and negative controls. Minimum inhibitory concentration of the active extract was determined by the broth dilution assay. Human PDL fibroblast tissue culture was used to assess the cytotoxicity of the preparations. The data thus obtained were subjected to statistical analysis.

The results showed that the mean antimicrobial efficacy of Triphala and liquorice at 50 mg/ml is 20.33 and 9.33, respectively, which are statistically significant (P < 0.0001) as compared with a concentration 12.5 and 25 mg/ml. 50 mg/ml showed significant results (P < 0.001) on comparing with hypochlorite. Triphala and liquorice showed no cytotoxic effect as compared to NaOCl on human PDL fibroblasts.

Among the three tested materials Triphala showed the highest antimicrobial efficacy followed by NaOCl and liquorice.