Antimicrobial activity of repair materials of endodontic use by the agar diffusion test and the direct contact

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of repair materials of endodontic use MTA/Bio Angelus®, white Portland cement, white MTA Angelus® and white MTA ProRoot® on Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus by the agar diffusion test and the direct contact test. Data was retrieved by measuring the zones of inhibition and by counting colony-forming units, respectively. The results showed that MTA/Bio Angelus® presented superior antimicrobial activity against all bacteria in the agar diffusion test and in the direct contact test. In addition, our results suggest that the use of the direct contact test is a safe, reproducible and trustable method.