Evaluation of Antimicrobial Efficiency of Herbal Irrigants of Pulpectomized Primary Teeth

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial efficiency of 2 herbal extracts versus 2.5% sodium hypochlorite and saline in eliminating Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) bacteria within infected primary root canals. Materials and Methods: Forty roots of extracted lower primary molars were obtained and divided into 4 groups according to the type of irrigant: Group 1 (control) NaOCl 2.5%, Group 2 (12.5% turmeric irrigant), and Group 3 (25% propolis irrigant) and Group 4 (saline). Root canals were contaminated with E. faecalis bacteria. Bacterial counts were performed from samples that were taken from each canal pre-irrigation and post-irrigation. Data was analyzed using t-test and ANOVA. Results: There were statistical differences between all groups; NaOCL and turmeric extract showed a high effective reduction of a bacterial number followed by propolis. A slight reduction of  E. faecalis  was demonstrated following saline irrigation. Conclusions: All herbal irrigation solutions showed effective eradication of E. faecalis and can be used as an alternative to NaOCL in the irrigation of infected root canals of primary teeth.