Assessment of the Antimicrobial Effectiveness of Herbal Root Canal Irrigants (Propolis, Triphala, and Aloe Vera) and Chlorhexidine Against Enterococcus Faecalis

Background: Complete microbial eradication from the root canal and 3-dimensional obturation of the canal space are necessary for an efficient root canal procedure. Aim: The current research was conducted to assess the antimicrobial effectiveness of herbal root canal irrigants and Chlorhexidine against Enterococcus faecalis. Materials and methods: The brain heart infusion (BHI) broth was used to grow the E. faecalis (ATCC) bacterial culture overnight before it was inoculated onto Mueller-Hinton agar plates. Agar-well diffusion was used to measure antibacterial inhibition. Respective propolis, Triphala, aloe vera, and chlorhexidine irrigants were added to the appropriate wells in agar plates and incubated for 24 hours at 37°C. Each well's bacterial inhibition zone was measured and recorded. Statistics were used to tabulate and analyze the results. Results: Chlorhexidine indicated the maximum inhibitory zone against E. faecalis, subsequently propolis and Triphala, and the lowest by A. vera extract. Conclusion: Propolis, Triphala, and aloe vera were tested herbal remedies that demonstrated an inhibitory zone against E. faecalis. These irrigants are therefore, suitable for use as root canal irrigating solutions.