Antimicrobial efficacy of AH-Plus, adseal and endofill against Enterococcus faecalis- An in vitro study

Antimicrobial activity is one of the desirable properties of an ideal sealer. The purpose of this study was to compare the antimicrobial effect of three different sealers (AH-Plus, adseal and endofill) on Enterococcus faecalis. The antimicrobial effect of three sealers was tested by the agar diffusion method. The freshly mixed sealers were placed in prepared wells of agar plates inoculated with E. faecalis. After incubation of the plates at 37°C for 7 days (168 h) under anaerobic condition, the diameter of zone of microbial growth inhibition produced around the wells was measured (in mm) after 3, 5 and 7 days. The data were statistically analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman tests. In all determined intervals, the antibacterial activity of endofill was significantly higher than other test materials (p<0.05). AH-Plus had moderate effect on E. faecalis, while Adseal showed the lowest antibacterial activity on tested bacteria. The endoffill sealer showed the highest antimicrobial effect compared to AH-Plus and Adseal sealers. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of all sealers decreased with time.   Key words: Antimicrobial activity, agar diffusion method, endodontic sealers,Enterococcus faecalis.