Comparative Evaluation of the Antibacterial Efficacy of Silver Nanoparticles and Calcium Hydroxide as Intracanal Medicaments Against E. faecalis.

BACKGROUND: Effective intracanal medications are required because of the major difficulty posed by Enterococcus faecalis' persistence in endodontic infections. Calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) is still a common option, although silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained attention as possible antibacterial agents because of their broad-spectrum effectiveness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic procedure was used to prepare 60 removed single-rooted human teeth, which were then infected with E. faecalis for 21 days. Three groups of 20 samples were randomly selected: Group 1 (Control): No medication; Group 2: Paste of calcium hydroxide; and Group 3: Solution of silver nanoparticles For seven days, the medications were inserted into the canals. Colony-forming units (CFU/mL) on brain heart infusion agar were used to assess the bacterial counts before and after therapy. RESULTS: All groups started with a comparable initial bacterial load (1.2 × 102 CFU/mL). Group 3 (AgNPs) exhibited a more substantial decrease of 93% (8.4 × 104 CFU/mL) after seven days, while Group 2 (Ca(OH)2) showed a reduction of 72% (3.4 × 105 CFU/mL). AgNPs had better antibacterial activity than Ca(OH)2, as seen by the statistically significant difference between the two treated groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared to calcium hydroxide, silver nanoparticles had higher antibacterial activity against E. faecalis, indicating their potential as a substitute intracanal medication.