Comparison of Antimicrobial Efficacy of Morinda citrifolia, Triphala, and Camellia sinensis Extracts as Root Canal Irrigants in Primary Molars: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objective: To evaluate the reduction of microbial loading using Morinda citrifolia (M.citrifolia), Triphala, and Camellia sinensis (C.sinensis) as irrigating agents in deciduous molars after pulpectomy.Materials and methods: A controlled, randomized clinical trial involving 150 multirooted deciduous molars from both genders between 6 and 9 years old children were included, 30 molars irrigated with M. citrifolia (group I), Triphala (group II), C. sinensis (group III), chlorhexidine (CHX) (group IV), and saline (group V) each.In all cases, two microbiological samples from within the canal were taken with sterile paper points, one before the first irrigation and the other immediately after pulp extirpation.Cleaning and shaping were completed with intermittent irrigation with 10 mL of experimental irrigants in the initial visit.After 3 days, reentry to the root canal was obtained, rinsed with 5 mL of the test irrigants, and the second microbial sample was collected.All the microbial samples obtained were cultured under anaerobic conditions on blood agar.The colony-forming units (CFUs) were counted using a colony counter.Data was analyzed using paired student t-test and Tukey's post hoc test.Results: After analysis of the pre-and postsamples in all groups, a strong significant decrease in bacterial load (p ≤ 0.001) was found with CHX, M. citrifolia, and Triphala.Conclusion: Morinda citrifolia (M.citrifolia) and Triphala, with effective antimicrobial efficacy, can be suggested as an alternative root canal irrigant as CHX, while C. sinensis was found ineffective in reducing microbial count as normal saline.