Evaluation of Antimicrobial Efficacy and Clinical Outcomes of Triphala and 2.5% Sodium Hypochlorite as Intraradicular Irrigants in Pulpectomy of Primary Teeth.

A natural irrigation solution with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial coverage, triphala was selected for the pulpectomy procedure. Because of its natural ingredients, it is well-known for promoting tissue healing. It also supposedly has certain additional qualities as compared to usual irrigation solutions that are made chemically. Although 2.5% NaOCl is thought to be perfect since it meets most of the requirements for an irrigation solution but it cannot be optimized for pulpectomy procedure. Primary teeth that were recommended for pulpectomy underwent this randomized controlled experiment. Two groups of eighty-four primary teeth were randomly assigned to receive irrigations: triphala in Group A; 2.5% Sodium hypochlorite in Group B. Sample were taken from infected primary root canals. A sterile test tube with bhi broth as the transport media was used to collect pre- and post-irrigation samples using sterile absorbent paper tips. On agar media, microorganisms were cultivated and their mean colony count was assessed. Following the procedure, the patient's follow-up visits at one, two and three months were used to evaluate the clinical result. The post-microbial colony count was dramatically reduced (p<0.001) by both irrigation treatments. Triphala in Group A is demonstrating desirable efficacy. Clinical success was found satisfactory in both the groups studied (p<0.001). But statistically significant difference was not found (p=0.175). Considering undesirable properties of sodium hypochlorite triphala can be a better alternative as a root canal irrigants in pulpectomy of primary teeth.

An alarming rate of drug-resistant tuberculosis at Ngwelezane Hospital in northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain a profile of tuberculosis (TB) cases caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in northern KwaZulu Natal (KZN) for 2001. METHOD: The demographic and drug resistance characteristics were determined. A total of 251 smear and culture confirmed cases was obtained and the resistance of three major anti-tuberculosis drugs was tested using the proportion method. RESULTS: The patients were mainly from Ngwelezane (57.8%), Stanger (23.5%) and Manguzi (18.7%); 59.0% were male; 54.2% of the isolates were obtained from new TB patients. The mean age of the TB patients was 29.6 years, with the maximum notification age range at 25-34 years. A high prevalence of drug-resistant and multiresistant TB was observed in this region. At least 55% of previously treated and 19% of new cases from all areas were resistant to at least one of the drugs tested. New patients from Ngwelezane and Manguzi area had a high prevalence of any rifampicin resistance (11.0%) and ethambutol resistance (3.9%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the TB epidemic in northern KZN, especially in Ngwelezane, is severe. An infrastructure to educate stakeholders about the need to ensure consistency in treatment is needed.