Introduction: Considering the clinical importance of microbial biofilms in endodontic infections and the role of the different irrigating solutions in their destruction, the present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of Peganum Harmala extract and Sodium Hypochlorite on the destruction of Enterococcus faeclis biofilm.
Methods: For conducting this lab trial, root canals of 45 extracted teeth were prepared and E. faecalis biofilms were formed within the root canals. Then the teeth were randomly divided into three groups of 15. Samples were irrigated with Normal Saline in group 1, to serve as controls. 5/25% sodium hypochlorite was applied in group 2 and Peganum Harmala extract was utilized in group 3. All of the roots were irrigated by 15 cc of irrigation solutions for 15 min. Dentin chips were collected from the root canal walls and were weighed as well. Then the chips were used to prepare a suspension. The colony-forming unit (CFU) counting technique was used to determine remaining bacterial counts. The data were analyzed via Mann-whitney and kruskal-wallis tests.
Results: A significant reduction of CFU was observed in the Peganum Harmala extract and sodium hypochlorite groups compared to the control group(p0.05).
Conclusion: The antibacterial activity of Peganum Harmala extract is found to be comparable with that of 5/25% sodium hypochlorite on the Enterococcus faeclis biofilm
