Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the antibacterial effect and the solubility of experimental root canal filling pastes containing the phytoconstituents terpineol and cinnamaldehyde. Material and Methods: Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of each phytoconstituent was determined against Enterococcus faecalis. Five groups of antibiotic pastes based on zinc oxide were obtained by mixing: only terpineol, only cinnamaldehyde, terpineol and cinnamaldehyde combined, chlorhexidine (antibiotic control), and CTZ paste (control paste). Antibacterial activity was analyzed through direct contact test within 24 and 72 hours. Solubility was evaluated by spectrophotometry within 48 and 144 hours. Antibacterial activity data were analyzed descriptively, and solubility data was analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey tests (p<0.05). Results: The MIC obtained for terpineol and cinnamaldehyde were, respectively, 2000 µg/mL and 500 µg/mL. After 24h, only the terpineol paste did not inhibit E. faecalis growth. After 72h, all groups inhibited E. faecalis growth. After 48h, the highest solubility was verified in the terpineol paste (p<0.05), and no differences were detected among other groups (p>0.05). After and 144h, highest solubility was observed in the terpineol paste (p<0.05), followed by the CTZ paste (p<0.05). No differences were detected for cinnamaldehyde, terpineol+cinnamaldehyde and chlorhexidine pastes (p>0.05). Conclusion: Pastes containing cinnamaldehyde or terpineol+cinnamaldehyde showed antibacterial activity against E. faecalis similar to CTZ paste, with lower solubility.
Highlights
Endodontic treatment of primary teeth presents particularities related to the complex anatomy and topography of its root canal system, showing sharp curvatures and several accessory channels [1]
In addition to the necessary antibacterial activity, several other properties are desirable to endodontic pastes, such as biocompatibility, radiopacity, no tooth discoloration or aggression to the successor permanent tooth germ, degradation similar to the physiological resorption process of the deciduous tooth, having low solubility in water, among others [4]
The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) obtained against Enterococcus faecalis for terpineol and cinnamaldehyde are shown in Table
Summary
Endodontic treatment of primary teeth presents particularities related to the complex anatomy and topography of its root canal system, showing sharp curvatures and several accessory channels [1]. Among the root canal filling pastes indicated in literature, CTZ (chloramphenicol, tetracycline, zinc oxide and eugenol) presents satisfactory clinical results, as well as a simple and easy-to-perform technique [3,5,6]. This material is still not widely used, due to factors such as the fear of professionals regarding biocompatibility of the paste (a few numbers of studies analysed this propriety) [7] and the lack of studies that verified long-term clinical success of this therapy [3]
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