Antimicrobial activity of calcium hydroxide and chlorhexidine on intratubular Candida albicans

Abstract

During root canal treatment, disinfection with chlorhexidine — an antimicrobial with long-lasting effect — can help prevent infection, Brazilian research shows. The complex anatomy of the canal, which is comprised of the pulp-containing canal and the microscopic dentinal tubules radiating outward to the tooth’s edge, can harbor harmful microbes after a tooth’s pulp is removed. Effective disinfection is therefore essential. Ronan Delgado and colleagues at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, tested two antimicrobial gels, chlorhexidine and calcium hydroxide, on extracted teeth infected with Candida albicans, a particularly tenacious oral microbe. Using fluorescence techniques to count live and dead cells very accurately, they determined that either alone or paired with calcium hydroxide, chlorhexidine was more effective against C. albicans than calcium hydroxide alone.

Keywords

calcium hydroxide / Candida albicans / chlorhexidine / endodontics

References

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