Antibacterial efficacy of silver diamine fluoride as a root canal irrigant

Abstract

Objectives: Conventional disinfectants and medicaments have not been able to achieve and maintain sterilization of root canals. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of 3.8% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) in comparison with 2% chlorhexidine (CHX) against Enterococcus faecalis biofilm. Materials and methods: Extracted human teeth were used to make 70 dentin discs that were then inoculated with E. faecalis to generate a 3-week-old biofilm model. The discs were subjected to treatment with 3.8% SDF, 2% CHX, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), or saline for 10 min. After exposure, the dentin discs were examined with a confocal laser scanning microscope to verify the percentage of live versus dead cells within the biofilm. Univariate one-way analysis of variance and Tukey-honestly significant difference post hoc analysis (p