Plasma sterilization of root canal abscess

Abstract

We perform in vitro validation of two plasma systems to determine whether bac­teria inactivation occurs in a root canal abscess during root canal dental surgery. Results indicate that plasma may be a very effective tool for minimally invasive inactivation of bacteria deep inside the tooth, without causing excessive damage to the tooth surface. We show effective in­activation of ~ 104 colony forming units of Enterococcus faecalis following 10-s treatment by nanosecond-pulsed corona discharge that is ignited using a standard dental tool (Pathfinder®) as the plasma guide.