Batool Majid Hammodi AL- Fahham

5. Conclusion Au NPs at different concentrations were tested as an antimi- crobial agent against S. oralis collected from the patients with periodontal disease. The Au NPs at 100 ppm concentrations were equally effective as CHX against S. oralis making it as a suitable alternative to the commercial antibiotics. Further in vitro and in vivo investigations should be carried out to confirm the functionality of the Au NPs as the antimicrobial agent against colony forming microorgan- isms in the field of dentistry.

ABSTRACT Background: Successful root canal therapy depends on thorough chemo mechanical debridement of pulpal tissue, dentin debris and infective microorganisms. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles, sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine in reducing the bacterial infection of the root canals. Materials and Methods: The root canals of 55 single-rooted teeth were cleaned, shaped, and sterilized. All the teeth samples were inoculated with Enterococcus faecalis and incubated at 37°C for 2 weeks. Then, the teeth were divided into four groups. Group I (n=15): 100 ppm silver nanoparticles, Group II (n=15): 2.5 sodium hypochlorite, Group III (n=15): 2% chlorhexidine, IV (n=10): Normal saline as a control group. Specimens were incubated for 2 weeks. Paper points were used to obtain pre- and post-irrigation samples so that the colony-forming units were counted. Data were analyzed using SPSS and tested by Shapiro-Wilk test, One-Way ANOVA and Games-Howell test where the level of •‹‰n‹ϔ‹canc‡ was set at 0.05. Results: All the tested irrigants showed superior effectiveness compared to the normal saline (p<0.05). Overall, 2.5% sodium hypochlorite presented the most effective action against E. faecalis b‹oϔ‹lmǡ followed by 100 ppm silver nanoparticles, then the 2% chlorhexidine by mean percentage of antibacterial effectiveness of 99.87%, 99.51% and 98.66% respectively. Conclusions: Silver nanoparticles were effective against E. faecalis b‹oϔ‹lm similarly to sodium hypochlorite when it was used as an irrigation solution.