Mustard Gel versus Chlorhexidine Gel as Root-Canal Medicament Against Enterococcus Faecalis: An in vitro Study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of mustard gel versus chlorhexidine (CHX) gel in treating the most resistant Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) bacteria as intra-canal medications.

Study design: Randomised controlled trial (in vitro study). Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Operative Dentistry, de'Montmorency College of Dentistry, in collaboration with Lahore General Hospital, between March and October 2021.

Methodology: Forty single-rooted teeth, extracted and randomly allocated, were divided into two groups. Group 1 underwent treatment with CHX gel, while Group 2 was treated with Mustard gel. Subsequently, after disinfection, each tooth was horizontally divided into three equal parts. The middle section was standardised and inoculated with a controlled strain of E. faecalis. Intra-canal medicaments were administered for seven days. Bacterial colonies were quantified as colony forming units (CFU/mL) and subjected to analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.

Results: The median bacterial count observed was 1,550 (range 775 - 2,500) for Group 1, contrasting with 400 (range 200 - 775) for Group 2, indicating a significant difference in bacterial count between the groups (p <0.001).

Conclusion: Mustard gel demonstrated significantly superior efficacy compared to chlorhexidine gel against E. faecalis in root canal procedures.

Key words: Chlorhexidine, Enterococcus faecalis, Mustard, Root canal medicament, Antimicrobial drug-resistance, Root canal irrigants.