Comparative evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy of calcium hydroxide, curcumin and aloe vera as an intracanal medicament: An in-vivo study

Abstract

For achieving predictable long-term success of nonsurgical endodontic treatment, complete debridement and effective disinfection of the root canal space are considered to be essential. The use of an intracanal medication remains an important adjunct in the total elimination of bacteria remaining even after chemo-mechanical instrumentation during endodontic treatment. Calcium hydroxide is most commonly used as intracanal medicament. Herbal alternatives like turmeric, neem, aloe vera etc. have the potential to be used as intracanal medicaments. The present study was undertaken for evaluating the antimicrobial efficacy of curcumin and aloe vera as an intracanal medicament for endodontic disinfection. : In this prospective randomised controlled study, 45 patients of age group of 18-55 years requiring endodontic therapy for single rooted, single canaled teeth with periapical lesions were selected. Patients were divided into 3 groups having 15 patients each, Group I (Curcumin), Group II (Aloe vera) and Group III (Calcium hydroxide). Under aseptic conditions preoperative and post-operative samples were collected & sent to the microbiology laboratory. Antimicrobial property was assessed using the microbial colony count. : Distribution of median postoperative microbial colony counts among the cases studied did not differ significantly between Groups I and III (P-value>0.05) whereas it was significantly higher in Group II compared to Groups I and III (P-value<0.05 for both). It can be concluded that antimicrobial efficacy of curcumin showed highest antibacterial efficacy followed by calcium hydroxide and aloe vera as an intracanal medicament.