In Vitro Antifungal Efficacy of Different Intracanal Irrigants against Candida Albicans

Background and Aim: An intracanal irrigant is essential for a successful root canal ther-apy. The aim of this study was to compare the antifungal efficacy of 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) and 94% carvacrol against Candida albicans (C. albicans) in vitro. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, after crown removal and canal prep-aration of 48 extracted human maxillary central incisors, they were randomly divided into 3 experimental groups of 14 teeth, plus two groups of positive and negative controls (n=3). A suspension of C. albicans (ATCC=10261) was injected into the experimental and positive control group root canals. The teeth were then incubated for 72 hours. Then, root canals in each group were rinsed with one of the irrigants for 1 minute and samples were taken from the canals and inoculated on plates. After 48 hours of incubation, the colony growth was assessed and colony forming units (CFUs) served as a measure of antifungal activity. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal Wallis test. Results: In carvacrol, sodium hypochlorite and CHX groups, 6, 10 and 1 specimen did not show bacterial growth and the mean CFU was 86.3, 53.3 and 271.2 in the mentioned groups, respectively. Conclusion: Carvacrol and 5.25% sodium hypochlorite had similar antifungal efficacy against C. albicans and this effect was significantly greater than that of 2% CHX