The Effect of an Atmospheric Pressure, DC Nonthermal Plasma Microjet on Tooth Root Canal, Dentinal Tubules Infection and Reinfection Prevention

A direct current, cold, atmospheric-pressure Ar/O2 (2%) plasma microjet (PMJ) was used to disinfect root canals in single-rooted extracted human teeth. Results showed that 98.8% Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) was inactivated in 8 min. However, the seemingly cleaned root canal was reinfected after a week, possibly due to the hard-to-reach infected dentinal tubules. It was found that a 30-min PMJ treatment could effectively prevent the reinfection. This presents a simple yet effective alternative to traditional treatment of root canal infections in endodontic therapy.