Comparative evaluation of antimicrobial activity of two root canal sealers: MTA Fillapex and AH 26.

AIM: Even after a complete root canal therapy, reinfection may occur as a result of incomplete seal and activation of residual bacteria. Thus, antimicrobial activity is an important characteristic of root canal sealers. MTA Fillapex is a newly developed MTA-based sealer. It has been subjected to various studies evaluating its physical and chemical properties. In this study, we aimed to compare the antimicrobial activity of this sealer to the commonly known widely accepted sealer, AH26. METHODS: MTA Fillapex and AH 26 were exposed the bacterial suspension of Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus mutans, and Candida albicans after setting. After incubation and complete evaporation, BHI was added to microtubes. 24 hours later, the liquid content was placed in agar diffusion plate and bacterial count was performed. ANOVA followed by Tukey test, and t-Test were performed to analyze the data. RESULTS: With regard to all four bacterial groups, the bacterial count was significantly lower in MTAFillapex group comparing to AH 26 group. CONCLUSION: Newly developed MTA Fillapex sealer, has better antimicrobial properties in comparison to the widely accepted AH26 sealer.

A in-vitro comparative study on bacterial leakage of mineral trioxide aggregate, calcium enriched cement and bone cement in furcal perforations.

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the bacterial leakage of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), calciem enriched cement (CEM), and bone cement (BC) as repair materials in furcal perforations. METHODS: The pulp chambers of 57 human mandibular molar teeth were accessed and the root canal orifices were located. The roots were horizontally sectioned in the middle third. Composite resin was used to fill the root canal orifices and the apical end of the roots. The 1mm furcation perforations were performed in the center of the pulp chamber floor, using diamond fissure burs. Fifty one teeth were divided into 3 groups. Six teeth were used as controls.Perforation defects were repaired with either MTA, CEM, or BC. A bacterial leakage model utilizing phenol red with 3% lactose broth was used for evaluation. The upper pulp chambers were subsequently filled with 5µL bacterial suspension containing Enterococcus faecalis. Then the top of the assembly was covered with aluminum foil to avoid unintentional contamination. The entire apparatus was incubated at 37°C, and bacterial leakage was evaluated daily by checking the turbidity in the culture medium of the lower part of the chamber. The bacterial inoculation was renewed every day, for 30 days. Leakage was noted when color conversion of the culture media was observed and was statistically analyzed using the Chi--square test with significance set at P< 0.05. RESULTS: Sixteen (94%) of the 17 samples of the MTA group , thirteen (81%) of the 17 samples of the CEM group and sixteen (94%) of the 17 samples in BC group were fully contaminated at 30 days. There was no statistically significant difference between the three study groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the present study, in teeth with furcation perforations, the coronal seal produced by MTA preparations was equally to that produced by CEM cement and Bone cement.