Background: The elimination of resistant bacterial strains such as Enterococcus faecalis present in infected canals is of paramount importance for successful root canal treatment. New alternative irrigants other than sodium hypochlorite have been proposed to achieve ideal endodontic treatment.
Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate antibacterial effect of ozonated olive oil versus sodium hypochlorite against Enterococcus faecalis bacteria.
Methodology: Agar well diffusion test was used to determine the antibacterial effect of ozonated olive oil and sodium hypochlorite against Enterococcus faecalis bacteria. The diameters of zones of bacterial inhibition formed around wells containing the test materials were measured and recorded after incubation for 24 h and 48 h.
Results: The mean values of the diameter of the zones of bacterial inhibition were 13.28mm ± 1.127 and 21.22mm ± 1.396 for sodium hypochlorite and ozonated olive oil respectively after 24 h. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups. There was no change in the diameter of the bacterial inhibition zones after 48 hours.
Conclusions: The present study showed that antibacterial effect of ozonated oil is superior to that of sodium hypochlorite.