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CC BY 4.0 · Eur J Dent 2025; 19(01): 103-109
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1786863
Original Article

Antibacterial Efficacy of Graphene Nanoparticles against Enterococcus faecalis: In Vitro Study

Omer Sheriff Sultan 
1   A.T. Still University - Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health (ATSU-MOSDOH), Kirksville, Missouri, United States
,
Preena Sidhu
2   Division of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
,
Kiran Rehman 
2   Division of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
,
Thiagrajan Madheswaran
3   Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
,
Amalraj Fabian Davamani 
4   School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Abstract

Objective(s) This study compared the antimicrobial efficacy of nanographene (NG) particles with chlorhexidine (CHX) and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) against Enterococcus faecalis.

Materials and Methods Forty extracted human mandibular premolar teeth were cleaned using a scaler, and the middle-third of the root (6 mm) was decoronated using a rotary diamond disk. The inner diameter of the teeth was made consistent using Gates Glidden Drills #3, treated with ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid and sodium hypochlorite before sterilization. The samples were then contaminated with E. faecalis grown in Tryptic soy broth for 21 days. Tooth samples were then randomly divided into four groups: Group I (Control), untreated saline; Group II, Ca(OH)2; Group III, CHX; and Group IV, NG. The assessment of bacterial growth was carried out by harvesting dentin chips at the end of 1, 3, and 7 days. The colonies were physically counted and tabulated after 24 hours from seeding. Statistical analysis of the collected data was performed with analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test using SPSS Version 20.0.

Results The contaminated dentine blocks irrigated with NG (0.5 µg) and CHX (0 ± 0; p < 0.001) had no growth of E. faecalis colonies compared to blocks of Ca(OH)2 (10 ± 21) and saline (927 ± 455). All concentrations of NG (0.5 and 1.0 µg) showed effectiveness higher (p < 0.001) than 2% CHX when measured by the zone of inhibition against E. faecalis.

Conclusion It may be concluded that NG is effective against growth of E. faecalis and may be used as a promising antimicrobial agent during root canal treatment. However, further studies should be done to investigate the effect of NG against other dental pathogens.

Keywords

antimicrobial - chlorhexidine - calcium hydroxide - Enterococcus faecalis - nanographene - root canal therapy

Ethical Approval Statement

We certify that this study design and protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee (IMU-JC NO 361/2016).




Publication History

Article published online:
08 July 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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