Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the antibacterial effect of Diode laser 980 nm, EndoVac and passive ultrasonic irrigation ex vivo.
Methods: One hundred and five maxillary central incisors were standardized to 15mm in length. All samples were prepared using Protaper Universal rotary nickel titanium system till size # F4 then contaminated with E. faecalis. The irrigation protocol used was 2.5% sodium hypochlorite followed by 17% EDTA. Samples were randomly divided into 5 groups (n= 20) according to the irrigant activation method. LAI group, Diode laser 980nm. API group, EndoVac system. PUI group, passive ultrasonic activation. The positive control group, in which the irrigating solution was not activated and the negative control group in which the samples were not subjected to irrigation or activation. Residual bacteria were collected with sterile paper point, plated onto BHI media and incubated (37 °C, 48 h) to determine the colony-forming units (CFU mL-1). Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by performance of Tukey post hoc tests. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the changes in biofilm.
Results: There was a statistically significant reduction in the mean numbers of colony-forming units among all groups. However, none of the activation methods was able to kill E. faecalis biofilm completely. The LAI group behaved most effectively among all groups.
Conclusion: The adjunctive use of 980nm laser is an effective method for bacterial reduction after chemo-mechanical instrumentation of the root canal.