Antimicrobial efficacy of different pulp-capping materials against Enterococcus faecalis: An in vitro study

Aim: The present study aims to assess the antimicrobial action of three different pulp-capping agents against Enterococcus faecalis. Materials and Methods: Three pulp-capping agents were chosen for this study: Calcicur, mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA)-Angelus, and Dycal. The zone of inhibition produced by these three pulp-capping agents was measured at 24 h and 72 h to assess their antimicrobial efficacy against E. faecalis. The agar diffusion method was used to examine the antimicrobial effect of pulp-capping agents. Mueller-Hinton agar plates were used to inoculate the microorganisms. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's post hoc tests were done to compare the different groups. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: At 24 h, the highest zone of inhibition was found in MTA-Angelus (3.32 ± 0.11 mm), followed by Dycal (2.02 ± 0.46 mm) and Calcicur (1.84 ± 0.92 mm). After 72 h, MTA-Angelus demonstrated a zone of inhibition of 4.60 ± 0.22 mm, followed by Dycal (3.48 ± 0.74 mm) and Calcicur (2.90 ± 0.18 mm). ANOVA test showed a highly statistical significance. A statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) was shown between MTA-Angelus and Dycal. Calcicur did not show any significant difference. Conclusion: This trial found that the freshly mixed MTA-Angelus has a significantly superior antimicrobial effect against E. faecalis than Dycal and Calcicur.