Antibacterial efficacy of photodynamic therapy in the disinfection of root canals - Integrative literature review

Abstract

To evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of hotodynamic Therapy (PDT) in root canal (RC) disinfection. An integrative review of the literature was performed in diferents databases. It was selected articles published between January 2014 and January 2018, in Portuguese, English or Spanish languages, which evaluated, in a clinical trial, the antibacterial efficacy of PDT in RC disinfection. The sample consisted of 05 articles that met all the inclusion criteria, which analyzed aspects such as: sample; photosensitizer and exposure time; light source, wavelength, potency, energy and time of emission; and results. Most of the studies used single-rooted teeth and methylene blue photosensitizer with pre-irradiation time ranging from 1 to 5 minutes. The LED and the laser were the light sources used, with exposure time ranging from 40 to 240 seconds; power from 60 mW to 1000 mW; power density from 2 to 4 mW / cm2; energy of 4 to 9,6 J; and dose from 1.2 mJ / cm2 to 129 J / cm2. It can be concluded that, despite the heterogeneity of the protocols, there was a reduction in the bacterial populations responsible for RC infections, and it may be a supporting technique in endodontic therapy.