Ex vivo efficacy of sonodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy for inhibition of Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans biofilm

Background: This study aimed to assess the ex vivo efficacy of sonodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (SACT) also known as antimicrobial sonodynamic therapy for inhibition of Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans biofilm.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 80 extracted single-canal maxillary anterior teeth. After instrumentation, the root canals were inoculated with E. faecalis and C. albicans suspensions, and the teeth were assigned to 5 groups of control (no antimicrobial therapy), nano-curcumin, ultrasound waves, 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and SACT (nano-curcumin plus ultrasound waves). The mean biofilm thickness and number of colonies were then counted.Results: The E. faecalis colony count in nano-curcumin, ultrasound waves, and SACT groups was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The C. albicans colony count in SACT group was significantly lower than that in the control and ultrasound waves groups (P<0.05). The mean biofilm thickness in NaOCl and SACT groups was significantly thinner than other groups (P<0.05). The mean biofilm thickness in SACT group was significantly thinner than that in ultrasound waves group (P<0.001).Conclusion: In summary, SACT using nano-curcumin had an almost comparable efficacy to NaOCl, but was more effective than ultrasound waves and nano-curcumin for reduction of C. albicans and E. faecalis biofilm.