Comparative antibacterial efficacy of calcium hydroxide, diclofenac sodium, chitosan, and boric acid against Enterococcus faecalis: an in vitro study

This study evaluated the antimicrobial efficacy of calcium hydroxide (CH), diclofenac sodium (DCS), chitosan (CHT), and boric acid (BA) against Enterococcus faecalis . Seventy extracted maxillary teeth were instrumented, inoculated with E. faecalis , and incubated for 21 days. The specimens were then filled with CH, DCS, CHT, or BA ( n = 15) as intracanal medicaments and incubated for 7 days, after which antibacterial efficacy was assessed using CFU/mL counts ( p < 0.05). All medicaments significantly reduced bacterial counts. BA (67.10%) and DCS (65.20%) achieved significantly greater reductions than CH (42.60%) and CHT (46.40%) ( p < 0.05), corresponding to approximately 65–67% versus 42–46% bacterial reduction. These findings demonstrate markedly greater antibacterial efficacy of BA and DCS under the conditions tested.