Bactericidal and Smear Layer Removal Efficacy of Herbal Alternatives Against Enterococcus Faecalis Dentinal Biofilm - An ex-vivo Study

Objective:  To assess the antibacterial and smear layer removal ability of  Trigonella foenum ,  Syzygium cumini ,  Terminalia chebula  seed extracts against E. faecalis dentinal biofilm.  Material and Methods: Agar well diffusion, micro broth dilution assay and time-kill curve assay were performed to determine the antibacterial activity. The ability of the herbal extracts to remove the smear layer on the root canal surface was assessed by scanning electron microscopy .  Results: Antibacterial activity was observed for the extracts of  S. cumini  and  T. chebula  on  E. faecalis  dentinal biofilm and its planktonic counterparts. The smear layer was efficiently removed by the seed extracts of  T. chebula  alone. Seed extracts of  T. foenum  neither possessed antibacterial effect nor smear layer removal ability .  Conclusion:  The extracts of  T. chebula  seeds may replace conventional irrigant due to its antibacterial properties and smear layer removing the ability. The extracts of  S. cumini  may be used as an intracanal medicament as it exhibited a bactericidal effect against the  E. faecalis  dentinal biofilm following 18 hours of incubation.