A Comparison of the Antibacterial Effects of Moringa Oleifera and Eucalyptus As Intracanal Irrigants on Enterococcus Faecalis: An in Vitro Study

Abstract

Background: Enterococcus faecalis has been considered as a main factor for rendodontic treatment failure. Herbal products are increasingly used as their antimicrobial efficacy. This study aimed to investigate and compare the in vitro antimicrobial effects of two plants, Moringa oleifera and eucalyptus, with sodium hypochlorite as the standard irrigation solution against Enterococcus faecalis. Materials and Methods: In the present in-vitro study, thirty mandibular premolars were decoronated, and root canal instrumentation was performed. Each sample was separately autoclaved, inoculated with E. faecalis, and incubated. The samples were divided into six groups based on the type of intervention (n=5 in each group): 1) microemulsion of M. oleifera, 2) microemulsion of eucalyptus, 3) 2.5% sodium hypochlorite, 4) a solution combining both M. oleifera and eucalyptus, 5) positive control, and 6) negative control. The root canals were obturated with gutta-percha and incubated for 90 days. Microbial sampling from the root canals was performed before (S1) and after root canal irrigation (S2), and the viability of microorganisms was reported in terms of the number of colony-forming units. Results: A significant difference in CFU/mL was observed among all groups (P<0.001). The negative control showed complete inhibition, whereas the positive control exhibited >105 CFU/mL. Mean bacterial counts were lowest in the Moringa+Eucalyptus group (4921±3571 CFU/mL), followed by NaOCl (5720 ± 8952 CFU/mL), Eucalyptus (7246±9257 CFU/mL), and Moringa (8053±6247 CFU/mL). Pairwise comparisons revealed no statistically significant differences between the experimental irrigants (P>0.05). Conclusion: M. oleifera and eucalyptus microemulsions exhibited similar antimicrobial effects against E. faecalis, and no synergistic effect of these two extracts was observed.