Assessment of the Antibacterial Property of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate and Glass Ionomer Cement Mixture

Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) is an experimental material used for the capping of pulps as well as a root end filling material. Glass ionomer cement (GIC) is a widely used dental restorative due to its high mechanical strength and antibacterial function. The aim of this study is to assess the antibacterial property of MTA when mixed with GIC. The study comprised four groups with 5 samples each: Group A (MTA), group B (GIC), groups C (MTA+GIC+MTA Liquid) and group D (MTA+GIC+GIC Liquid). All samples were tested against Enterococcus faecalis using Agar well diffusion method in Tryptone soya agar. The One-way ANOVA test was employed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for MacOS (Version 19, 2010) with the level of significance set at P<0.05. The average zone of inhibition of group A was 18.6 ± 1.714 mm, group B was 0.4 ± 0.548 mm, group C was 18.6 ± 2.608 mm and group D was 12.8 ± 2.168 mm. Data was statistically significant, F(3,16)=11.631, P<0.001. The antibacterial activity of MTA and MTA when mixed with GIC and MTA liquid is similar but better than other study groups.