Comparative evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy of new herbal preparation with and without 17% ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid as a root canal irrigant in human root dentin: A systematic review

The literature on conventional irrigants used as root canal disinfectants in endodontic is extensive. For smear layer removal, a number of chelating compounds comprising citric acid and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid have been utilized. Both work by lowering the dentin complex's calcium ion content, which changes its permeability. Although synthetic antibiotics have proven unsuccessful against a number of pathogenic species due to rising drug resistance, attention to antimicrobials derived from plants has been evident in the recent literature. As literature is boosting about the various time-tested herbs, there are still other heritage herbs that remain away from the limelight. Hence, this review focuses on various studies that highlighted the use of herbal irrigants in place of synthetic irrigants. Search methodology involved searching PubMed and Google Scholar databases for articles that were published between 2018 and 2022, following which 13 articles were recruited for the current review. After evaluation of the various studies, the review concluded that herbal irrigants are useful root canal irrigants that can replace synthetic irrigants for smear layer removal and antimicrobial efficiency against various microorganisms.