the effect of carvacrol on enterococcus faecalis as a final irrigant

introduction: sodium hypochlorite (naocl) is an effective antimicrobial irrigant, however its toxic effects and deterrent odor are not ideal. carvacrol is an edible plant extract with anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties that is effective against enterococcus ( e ) faecalis . the aim of this study was to evaluate carvacrol's antibacterial efficacy against e. faecalis bacteria as a final irrigant. materials and methods: forty extracted single-rooted human teeth were utilized. after mechanical preparations, samples were randomly divided into three experimental (a, b and c) and two control groups. e. faecalis was cultured in both experimental and positive control groups. after bacterial counting in all canals, 5.25% naocl, 0.6% carvacrol emulsion and mtad were used as final irrigants in groups a, b and c respectively. data were analyzed using kruskal-wallis and mann-whitney u tests. results: there was no meaningful difference in bacterial reduction between groups a and b; however, group c showed significantly lower efficacy compared to other groups (p<0.05). conclusion: the 0.6% carvacrol disinfects root canals effectively. it also has anti-inflammatory qualities and therefore may be an acceptable alternative for naocl.