Antibacterial efficacy of newly suggested root canal irrigants in differently prepared root canals

Aim To evaluate the efficacy of trisodium phosphate (Na 3 PO 4 ) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ) irrigations against Enterococcus faecalis in differently prepared root canals. Materials and methods Ninety laboratory-infected root canals were endodontically prepared using K-file (group 1), Mtwo rotary (group 2) and OneShape rotary (group 3) file systems. Canals in each group were irrigated with the minimum bactericidal concentrations of sodium hypochlorite (subgroup 1), Na 3 PO 4 (subgroup 2) and NaHCO 3 (subgroup 3) solutions. Another 10 infected unprepared canals served as control group. Samples obtained from lumens and dentin linings of root canals were used to count the residual bacteria in each subgroup. Both two-way analysis of variance and Mann–Whitney comparisons at P value less than or equal to 0.05 were used to statistically analyze the results. Results All tested subgroups showed lower no of colony-forming units than the control ( P P 3 showed the highest antibacterial efficacy in group 1 and group 3 ( P P > 0.05). Conclusion Although none of the tested irrigation solutions are capable of completely eradicating E. faecalis , both Na 3 PO 4 and NaHCO 3 seem effective when used together with the nominated file systems.