The aim of the present study was to compare the
in vitro antibacterial activity of common root canal irrigants with a combination technique against intratubular
Enterococcus faecalis. Seventy-five human single-rooted teeth were selected and their crowns and root-ends were removed to obtain specimens 5 mm in length. The specimens were contaminated with
E. faecalis and divided into five experimental groups (
n = 15). These groups were irrigated with 2
% chlorhexidine (CHX), 3
% hydrogen peroxide (H
2O
2), 5.25
% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), CHX/H
2O
2 and sterile saline (control). Surface and deep dentinal chips were collected for each sample. After incubation, the numbers of colony-forming units (CFUs) were counted. The Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney
U tests were used for statistical analysis (α = 0.05). In the surface dentin, CHX, NaOCl, and CHX/H
2O
2 had significantly higher antibacterial activity than H
2O
2 (
P < 0.05). In the deep dentin, NaOCl and CHX/H
2O
2 had significantly higher antibacterial activity than CHX and H
2O
2 (
P < 0.05). CHX/H
2O
2 had similar antibacterial effectiveness to NaOCl in both surface and deep dentinal tubules. This combination can be considered a potentially useful irrigant for root canal treatment. (J Oral Sci 55, 275-280, 2013)
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