Bacteriologic investigation of the effects of sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine during the endodontic treatment of teeth with apical periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE: This clinical study was undertaken to compare the effectiveness of 2.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate as irrigants in reducing the cultivable bacterial populations in infected root canals of teeth with apical periodontitis. STUDY DESIGN: According to stringent inclusion/exclusion criteria, 32 teeth with primary intraradicular infections and chronic apical periodontitis were selected and followed in the study. Bacterial samples were taken at the baseline (S1) and after chemomechanical preparation using either NaOCl (n = 16) or chlorhexidine (n = 16) as irrigants (S2). Cultivable bacteria recovered from infected root canals at the 2 stages were counted. Isolates from S2 samples were identified by means of 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. RESULTS: At S1, all canals were positive for bacteria, and the median number of bacteria per canal was 7.32 x 10(5) for the NaOCl group and 8.5 x 10(5) for the chlorhexidine group. At S2, the median number of bacteria in canals irrigated with NaOCl and chlorhexidine was 2.35 x 10(3) and 2 x 10(2), respectively. Six of 16 (37.5%) canals from the NaOCl group and 8 of 16 (50%) canals from the chlorhexidine group yielded negative cultures. Chemomechanical preparation using either solution substantially reduced the number of cultivable bacteria in the canals. No significant difference was observed between the NaOCl and chlorhexidine groups with regard to the number of cases yielding negative cultures (P = .72) or quantitative bacterial reduction (P = .609). The groups irrigated with NaOCl or chlorhexidine showed a mean number of 1.3 and 1.9 cultivable species per canal, respectively. The great majority of isolates in S2 were from gram-positive bacteria, with streptococci as the most prevalent taxa. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings revealed no significant difference when comparing the antibacterial effects of 2.5% NaOCl and 0.12% chlorhexidine used as irrigants during the treatment of infected canals.

Bacterial reduction in infected root canals treated with 2.5% NaOCl as an irrigant and calcium hydroxide/camphorated paramonochlorophenol paste as an intracanal dressing.

This clinical study investigated the bacterial reduction after instrumentation using 2.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) as an irrigant and further interappointment dressing with a calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)(2))/camphorated paramonochlorophenol (CPMC) paste. Eleven teeth with primary intraradicular infections and chronic apical periodontitis selected according to stringent inclusion/exclusion criteria followed in the study. Bacterial samples were taken before treatment (S1), after chemomechanical preparation using hand NiTi files and 2.5% NaOCl (S2), and following a 7-day medication with a Ca(OH)(2) paste in CPMC (S3). Cultivable bacteria recovered from infected root canals at the three stages were counted and identified by means of 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. At S1, all cases harbored bacteria, with a mean number of 2.8 taxa per canal (range, 1-6). At S2, 6 of 11 (54.5%) of the cases yielded positive cultures, with one to three species per canal. At S3, only one case (9.1%) was positive for the presence of bacteria, with Propionibacterium acnes as the only taxon isolated. A significantly high reduction in bacterial counts was observed between S1 and S2, and S1 and S3. Significant differences were also observed for comparisons involving S2 and S3 samples with regard to both quantitative bacterial reduction (p = 0.029) and number of culture-negative cases (p = 0.03). It was concluded that chemomechanical preparation with 2.5% NaOCl as an irrigant significantly reduced the number of bacteria in the canal but failed to render the canal free of cultivable bacteria in more than one-half of the cases. A 7-day intracanal dressing with Ca(OH)(2)/CPMC paste further significantly increased the number of culture-negative cases.