Analysis of Different Irrigant Activation Methods on Elimination of Intra-Root Canal Enterococcus Faecalis with Sodium Hypochlorite: An In vitro Study.

Endodontic treatment comprises of thorough cleaning and shaping of the canal through appropriate instrumentation and irrigation. The key component of an efficient endodontic therapy is irrigation because it performs numerous crucial chemical, mechanical, and microbiological tasks. Efficient irrigation plays a crucial role in bacterial reduction. Enterococcus faecalis is a species of bacteria typically found in persistent, asymptomatic root canal infections. Therefore, this particular bacterium was used in this study to compare the efficiency of different irrigation techniques. Forty-two extracted human mandibular premolars with single straight root canals and completely formed apices were used. The teeth were allocated into three groups (N = 14): Group 1 irrigated with the negative pressure irrigation, Group 2 irrigated with the passive ultrasonic irrigation, and Group 3 irrigated with the diode laser. The teeth were inoculated with the Enterococcus faecalis for one week. After the irrigation procedures, the amount of E. faecalis was calculated/sampled by colony forming units (CFU). Group 3 showed the least number of colonies in colony-forming unit, followed by Group 1, and the maximum number of colonies was in Group 2. All the irrigation activation methods were associated with bacterial elimination. The diode laser showed the maximum bacterial elimination as compared to the other groups.