| Background and Aims: Root canal treatment failures are often attributed to incomplete removal of bacteria, particularly Enterococcus faecalis. While, chlorhexidine and sodium hypochlorite serve as conventional treatments. herbal medicine has been today considered as an alternative to synthetic medicine due to its safety. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the antibactrial effect of Scrophularia Striata extract with chlorhexidine and sodium hypochlorite on Enterococcus Faecalis in the tooth root canal.
Materials and Methods: In this study, sixty extracted teeth were examined. Following the infection of dental canals with Enterococcus faecalis, materials were tested in 3 groups: 1) chlorhexidine 2% (18 teeth), 2) sodium hypochlorite 2.5% (18 teeth), and 3) Scrophularia striata (at the concentration obtained from MIC, 20%; 18 teeth). Additionally, the positive control and negative control were included (3 teeth in each group). Samples were then cultured on bile esculin agar. After 72 hours, black colonies were eaxamined. Chi-squared test was used to analyze the results.
Results: Enterococcus faecalis bacteria grew in 6, 8, and 17 out of the 18 teeth within the sodium hypochlorite, chlorhexidine, and Scrophularia striata extract groups, respectively. Consequently, the bactericidal effects for sodium hypochlorite, chlorhexidine, and Scrophularia striata extract were 66.6%, 55.5%, and 5.55%, respectively. |
