Photodynamic therapy versus ultrasonic irrigation: Interaction with endodontic microbial biofilm, an ex vivo study

Summary Introduction Photodynamic therapy was introduced as an adjuvant to conventional chemo-mechanical debridement during endodontic treatment to overcome the persistence of biofilms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of photodynamic therapy (PDT) to disrupt an experimental microbial biofilm inside the root canal in a clinically applicable working time. Materials and methods Thirty extracted teeth were prepared and then divided in three groups. All samples were infected with an artificially formed biofilm made of Enterococcus faecalis , Streptococcus salivarius , Porphyromonas gingivalis and Prevotella intermedia bacteria. First group was treated with Aseptim Plus® photo-activated (LED) disinfection system, second group by a 650 nm Diode Laser and Toluidine blue as photosensitizer, and the third group, as control group, by ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) using EDTA 17% and NaOCl 2.6% solutions. The working time for all three groups was fixed at 3 min. Presence or absence of biofilm was assessed by aerobic and anaerobic cultures. Results There was no statistically significant difference between results obtained from groups treated by Aseptim Plus® and Diode Laser ( P P Conclusion Under the condition of this study, Photodynamic therapy could not disrupt endodontic artificial microbial biofilm and could not inhibit bacterial growth in a clinically favorable working time.