An in vitro evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy of 5% sodium hypochlorite, 2% chlorhexidine, and herbal extracts of neem and Aloe vera in disinfection of gutta-percha cones

Abstract

Aim: An in vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial efficacy of 5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), 2% chlorhexidine (CHX), and herbal extracts of neem and Aloe vera in disinfection of gutta-percha cones for 3 min. Materials and Methods: Ninety gutta-percha cones were used for the study. They were divided into four groups (Group A, Group B, Group C, and Group D) based on the decontaminant used. Each group had 20 cones which were further divided into two subgroups. The microbial species used were Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. Ten cones in each subgroup were contaminated with E. faecalis and S. aureus, respectively. From the remaining 10 cones, five were contaminated with E. faecalis and five with S. aureus and were disinfected with normal saline which was used as a control. These concentrated extracts were obtained using Soxhlet extraction procedure and were tested for their antimicrobial efficacy by counting the colony-forming units (CFU). The count was taken on day 0 (immediately after disinfection) and day 7 (after incubation for 7 days) for each organism. Results: The number of CFU on day 0 was not more than five for both E. faecalis and S. aureus for all the disinfectants used. However, on day 7 after incubation, only the neem group showed full growth of colonies for the E. faecalis. Conclusion: Long-term effects of A. vera were found to be superior and comparable to 5% NaOCl and 2% CHX. However, the long-term effect of neem as a disinfectant for gutta-percha needs further investigation.