368 - Comparison of Antibacterial Properties of New Commercial MTA Products

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate and compare the antibacterial properties of newer MTA formulations from Sprig, Ultradent, and NuSmile. The goal is to help clinicians identify the most effective MTA product for preventing caries progression in pediatric patients.

Methods: The antibacterial activity of each MTA product was evaluated using two methods. In the first, each MTA product will be placed in petri dishes containing agar inoculated with bacterial strains: S. mutans, E. faecalis, Lactobacillus, and C. albicans. After a 24-hour incubation period, inhibition zones will be measured with a 0.5 mm precision ruler, with additional measurements taken under a microscope for greater accuracy. In the second method, each MTA product will be dissolved in selective media at a concentration of 50 mg/mL, as described by Kim et al. (8). 180 µL of the specific bacterial media will be dispensed into each well of a 96-well plate for further testing. A triplicate assay was used to measure the remaining colony forming units for each bacteria and material combination tested.The inhibition zones and colony forming units (CFU) will be compared to identify which MTA formulation demonstrates the most significant antibacterial effect.

Results: The antibacterial activity of the MTA formulations was evaluated using two methods. However, the agar diffusion test did not yield any inhibition zones after multiple attempts, despite following the standardized procedure. No inhibition zones were detected around any of the MTA samples after a 24-hour incubation period.

Ultradent EndoEZE material is the best at inhibiting the growth of Enterococcus faecalis as it shows the lowest CFU among the materials tested in this study.There were no significant differences between the materials when tested against Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus spp., and Candida albicans, meaning the materials did not show a strong effect on bacterial growth.

Conclusion: While the antibacterial properties of the newer MTA formulations were evaluated using two distinct methods, the results indicate that Ultradent EndoEZE demonstrated the most effective inhibition of Enterococcus faecalis. However, none of the MTA products exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus spp., or Candida albicans, as no inhibition zones and significant difference in CFU were observed. Despite these findings, Ultradent EndoEZE may be a preferable choice for clinicians when targeting Enterococcus faecalis in pediatric patients. Further studies with refined methodologies may be necessary to fully assess the potential of MTA formulations in preventing caries progression in diverse bacterial environments.