Efficacy of Malaysian propolis as an intracanal medicament against Enterococcus faecalis biofilm: an ex-vivo study / Osamah Hasan Hamood Al-Masoodi

This study aimed to compare the different selected extraction methods of propolis extracts against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and to assess and compare the antibacterial activity of calcium hydroxide and an ethanol extract of propolis used as intracanal medicaments on root canals inoculated with Enterococcus faecalis. Extraction of Malaysian propolis (MP) was carried out using 70 ethanol by using different selected extraction methods, such as centrifugation-assisted extraction (CAE), vacuum-assisted extraction (VAE), and shaking-assisted extraction (SAE) methods were used. Antimicrobial activity against E. faecalis was assessed using the antibacterial susceptibility test (AST), followed by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Moreover, eighty-four intact human single-rooted teeth were extracted, decoronated and the root canals were chemomechanically prepared. The samples were sterilized before being inoculated with a pure culture of E. faecalis and cultured for 21 days. Prior to medication, colony counts were taken following incubation. Following that, samples were randomly divided into three groups (n = 28). Each group was subsequently subjected to a variety of intracanal medicaments, including Malaysian propolis (group 1), calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] (group 2), and 5% DMSO as a control (group 3). The antibacterial efficacy of each intracanal medicament was determined by calculating the percentage reduction in colony counts (%RCC) on days 1 and 3. The data were analyzed statistically using a one-way analysis of variance and the post hoc Tukey Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test.