ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY OF NEEM, CALCIUM HYDROXIDE AND COMBINATION OF BOTH AS AN INTRACANAL MEDICAMENT AGAINST E. faecalis - AN In vitro STUDY

Aim: To evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of Neem, calcium hydroxide and combination of both as an intracanal medicament against E. faecalis.

Background: Azadirachta indica is one of the most commonly used medicinal plant in India. Neem has many properties like antibacterial, antifungal activity against various pathogenic microorganisms. E. faecalis is a part of normal flora of the mouth and is an extremely resistant strain of microorganisms that is present even after endodontic treatment causing reinfections.

Materials and Methods: 2 g of Neem powder was diluted in 100 mL distilled water and was boiled for 10 minutes, this solution was filtered using a blotting paper into a beaker. The Neem extract was further reduced to 5 mL by boiling. It was then measured on agar plates using agar diffusion method. Muller Hinton Agar media was the selective media for the growth of E. faecalis. Agar diffusion method was used to assess the antimicrobial efficiency. The test groups were Group A: Neem, Group B: Calcium Hydroxide, Group C: Neem + Calcium Hydroxide. Zone of inhibition was measured. The values were subjected to statistical analysis. The significance level was set at 0.05.

Results: All three groups exhibited antimicrobial property against E. faecalis. Zone of inhibition was greater for Group B (21 mm) followed by Group C (17 mm) and Group A (16 mm) against E. faecalis. Kruskal Wallis analysis showed significant difference between the groups (p<0.05, p-0.00193).

Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, all three groups exhibited antimicrobial property against E. faecalis. Calcium hydroxide performed better than calcium hydroxide-Neem combination followed by Neem extract alone against E. faecalis.