Efficiency of castor oil as a storage medium for avulsed teeth in maintaining the viability of periodontal ligament cells

Statement of the Problem: Researchers always seek a new storage medium for avulsed teeth. Castor oil is a vegetable oil with several advantages such as antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, low toxicity, and glutathione preservation capability, low cost, and high availability

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the capacity of castor oil as a new storage medium in preserving the viability of periodontal ligament [PDL] cells compared to Hank's balanced salt solution [HBSS] and milk

Materials and Method: Forty freshly extracted human teeth were divided into 3 experimental and 2 control groups. The experimental teeth were stored dry for 30 min and then immersed for 45 min in one of the following media; castor oil, HBSS, and milk. The positive and negative control groups were exposed to 0 min and 2 h of dry time respectively with no immersion in any storage medium. The teeth were then treated with dispase grade II and collagenase and the number of viable PDL cells were counted. Data were analyzed using Kruskal- Wallis test

Results: The percentage of viable cells treated with castor oil, HBSS and milk counted immediately after removal from these media were 46.93, 51.02 and 55.10 % respectively. The statistical analysis revealed that the value for castor oil was significantly lower than HBSS and milk [p> 0.05]

Conclusion: Within the parameters of this study, it appears that castor oil cannot be served as an ideal medium for storage of avulsed tooth. More investigations under in vivo conditions are required to justify the results of this study

Antibacterial and toxic effect of hydrogen peroxide combined with different concentrations of chlorhexidine in comparison with sodium hypochlorite

Statement of the Problem: Hydrogen peroxide [H[2]O[2]] has been suggested to be used in sequence or in combination with chlorhexidine [CHX] to enhance the antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis, but there is no research in the literature on the safety and effectiveness of this irrigation protocol

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the cytocompatibility and antibacterial activity of different concentrations of CHX combined with H[2]O[2] in comparison with the activity of 5.25 and 2.5% sodium hypochlorite [NaOCl]

Materials and Method: Different concentrations of H[2]O[2] [10, 5, 3 and 1%] were exposed to the PDL cells. Then, the solution with minimal cytotoxicity was selected [3% H[2]O[2]]. The cytocompatibility and antibacterial activity of 0.1, 0.2, 1 and 2% CHX combined with 3% H[2]O[2] were evaluated and compared with 5.25 and 2.5% NaOCl. The differences in the mean viability of PDL cells were evaluated by one-way ANOVA. Kruskal-Wallis and post-hoc Dunn's tests were adopted to compare the antibacterial activity of the solutions against E.faecalis

Results: The viability of PDL cells was lower when treated with 5.25 or 2.5% NaOCl than all combinations of CHX and H[2]O[2]. There was no significant difference in the antibacterial activity of the solutions against E.faecalis, except for the 0.1% CHX + 3% H[2]O[2] combination, which had significantly lower efficacy than other groups

Conclusion: All combinations of CHX and H[2]O[2] [used in this study] except 0.1% CHX + 3% H[2]O[2] were efficient irrigants against planktonic E.faecalis and had a better cytocompatibility with PDL cells than 5.25 and 2.5% NaOCl

Root canal treatment of a maxillary second molar with two palatal canals: a case report

Careful understanding of internal anatomy of root canal system is crucial for successful endodontic treatment. The presence of two palatal canals in maxillary second molar is unusual but noteworthy as an aid to appropriate diagnosis and treatment. This paper reported a case of a maxillary right second molar with two root canals in the palatal root. The root canal treatment and case management were also explained

Antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of Ferula gummosa plant essential oil compared to NaOCl and CHX: a preliminary in vitro study

OBJECTIVES: The usage of medicinal plants as natural antimicrobial agents has grown in many fields including dental medicine. The aim of this in vitro study was three-fold: (i) to determine the chemical compositions of the Ferula gummosa essential oil (FGEO), (ii) to compare the antimicrobial efficacy of the oil with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and chlorhexidine (CHX), (iii) to assess the toxic behavior of FGEO in different concentrations compared to 5% NaOCl and 0.2% CHX. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to determine the chemical compositions of the oil. The disk diffusion method and a broth micro-dilution susceptibility assay were exploited to assess the antimicrobial efficacy against Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mitis, and Candida albicans. The cytocompatibility of the FGEO was assessed on L929 fibroblasts, and compared to that of NaOCl and CHX. RESULTS: Twenty-seven constituents were recognized in FGEO. The major component of the oil was beta-pinene (51.83%). All three irrigants significantly inhibited the growth of all examined microorganisms compared to the negative control group. FGEO at 50 microg/mL was effective in lower concentration against Enterococcus faecalis than 5% NaOCl and 0.2% CHX, and was also more potent than 0.2% CHX against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus. FGEO was a cytocompatible solution, and had significantly lower toxicity compared to 5% NaOCl and 0.2% CHX. CONCLUSIONS: FGEO showed a promising biological potency as a root canal disinfectant. More investigations are required on the effectiveness of this oil on intracanal bacterial biofilms.

Endodontic treatment of a maxillary lateral incisor with two roots; a case report with 6 months follow-up

Maxillary lateral incisors are widely known to be single rooted with one root canal. Although rare cases with root canal variations are being reported in many populations, the reports regarding Iranian population is extremely limited. In this report, we are presenting the endodontic treatment of a double rooted maxillary lateral incisor. These rare root-canal variations should be considered in pretreatment evaluations by clinicians who perform endodontic treatments

Comparison of antimicrobial efficacy of IKI and NaOCI irrigants in infected root canals: An in vivo study

Effective debridement of the root canal system with chemical irrigants prior to obturation is the key to long-term success of endodontic therapy. The purpose of this study is to compare the antibacterial activity of 2.5% sodium hypochlorite [NaOCI] and 2% iodine potassium iodide [IKI] solutions as intracanal disinfectant in infected root canals during one-visit endodontic treatment procedure. Thirty single-rooted teeth with necrotic pulps in 27 patients were selected according to specific inclusion/exclusion criteria and divided into two random groups. In group I, canals were irrigated with 2.5% NaOCI during instrumentation and in group II canals were initially irrigated with sterile saline during biomechanical preparation and then exposed to a 5-minute final irrigation with 2% IKI. Bacterial samples were taken before treatment [Si], and at the end of treatment [S[2]]. Mann-Whitney U test was used for analysis. Bacteria were present in all initial samples. NaOCI was able to significantly reduce the number of colony forming units [CPU] from Si to S[2] in approximately 90% of canals. Only 15% reductions in CPUs occurred after irrigation/instrumentation in group II; this degree of disinfection was not statistically significant. According to this study, although root canal irrigation with 2.5% NaOCI could not eradicate all bacteria within the canals; it was significantly superior in comparison with 2% IKI use

HLA class I gene polymorphism in Iranian patients with papillon-lefevre syndrome

Papillon-Lefevre Syndrome [PLS] is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by diffused palmoplantar keratoderma and severe periodontitis. Increased susceptibility to infections due to impairment of the immune system is considered to be involved in pathoetiology of this disease. According to the crucial function of HLA molecules in immune responses and association between certain HLA class I alleles and some periodontal or skin diseases, this study was designed to evaluate the relation of HLA class I genes and PLS. HLA class I genes were typed by PCR-SSP [Polymerase Chain Reaction with Sequence Specific Primers] method in eight Iranian PLS patients and 89 healthy controls. The results showed no significant difference between the patients and controls. Moreover, identical haplotypes or genotypes were also observed among PLS patients and their healthy siblings. It seems that further genes are involved in genetic susceptibility to PLS. However the results of this study showed no significant association between HLA class I genes and PLS, molecular analyses of killer immunoglobulin-like receptors [KIRs] and MHC class I chain-related gene A and B [MICA/B] in PLS may clear many obscure points about the genetic factors involved in these diseases