title: Antimicrobial efficacy of medicated root canal filling materials.
abstract: Bacteria remaining within the root canal system are a significant factor in endodontic failures. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of commercially available gutta-percha formulations against common endodontic pathogens. Standard, tetracycline, or iodoform (also called medicated gutta-percha; MGP) containing gutta-percha were tested against Actinomyces israelii, A. naeslundii, Enterococcus faecalis, and Fusobacterium nucleatum using the agar diffusion method. Resilon points and tetracycline disks/E-tests were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Resilon did not display antimicrobial properties. Standard gutta-percha and MGP inhibited F. nucleatum and A. naeslundii, with MGP also inhibiting A. israelii. Tetracycline containing gutta-percha was found to inhibit growth from all four bacterial species tested. The results of this study suggest that the use of tetracycline containing gutta-percha as an obturation material may be useful as a complement to the cleaning and disinfection phase of root canal procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endodontics, Center for Molecular Microbiology, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Melker
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Vertucci
authors.forename: Maria Fernanda
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Progulske-Fox
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bélanger
mesh_terms: D000190:Actinomyces / Q000187:drug effects*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000187:drug effects*; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum / Q000187:drug effects*; D006171:Gutta-Percha / Q000494:pharmacology; D006847:Hydrocarbons, Iodinated / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012387:Root Canal Filling Materials / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006847:Hydrocarbons, Iodinated; D012387:Root Canal Filling Materials; D006171:Gutta-Percha; D013752:Tetracycline; C010473:iodoform