Evaluation of Cytotoxicity of A Nanoparticle Incorporated Root Canal Sealer - An In-Vitro Study

Abstract

The objective of a root canal therapy is to remove the infected pulpal tissue and fill the enlarged canal spaces in such a way that a 3-D hermetic seal is obtained. For the obturation of the root canal space, an obturating core and a sealer are used. The sealer must be as biocompatible as possible with low cytotoxicity and genotoxicity and additional antibacterial properties. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of a silver nanoparticle incorporated root canal sealer using MTT Assay against human periodontal ligament cells. MTT Assay is a colorimetric analysis for testing the cytotoxicity of drugs in-vitro. It was observed that the cytotoxicity of the nanoparticle incorporated sealer was concentration dependent with the maximum cytotoxicity at a concentration of 10% of silver nanoparticles within the original sealer. It can be concluded that the nanoparticle incorporated sealer has more cytotoxicity when compared to the original composition and this is directly proportional to the concentration of the nanoparticles. More studies need to be done to analyse the clinical use of this nanoparticle incorporated sealer as evaluation of cytotoxicity levels alone does not qualify for a material to be used as an endodontic sealer.