Antibacterial Effect of Sodium Hypochlorite Gel and Solution on Enterococcus faecalis

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to compare the antibacterial effect of sodium hypochlorite gel and solution on Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis). The main purpose of a root canal treatment is to eliminate the bacteria and their products. Sodium hypochlorite solution has excellent antibacterial properties, but also some negative features. Materials and methods: Fifty six single root straight canals were instrumented with Ni-Ti rotary files (ProTaper S1,S2,F1,F2,F3) and contaminated with E. faecalis. Then they were divided into four groups. Group A used sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) 5.25% solution, Group B used NaOCl 5.25% gel, Group C used normal saline solution, and Group D used no irrigation. Microbiological samples were collected with sterile paper points. Statistical analysis was performed using MannWhitney U-test. The significance level was set to p<0.05. Results: In Groups A and B, no sign of E. faecalis presence was observed. Groups C and D showed presence of E. faecalis in all samples. Conclusion: NaOCl 5.25% solution and gel showed the same effectiveness. Therefore, NaOCl 5.25% in the form of a gel can be recommended as a safe and controllable intracanal irrigant.