In-situ nano-Ag coated gutta percha cones to counteract internal endodontic failures through bacterial infections

Root canal treatment is the most effective treatment for pulpal damage. But this treatment suffers major limi-tation i.e., bacterial infections lead to endodontic failures and flare-ups. To counteract bacterial infections, an anti-bacterial coating i.e., Ag NPs have been introduced over the gutta percha's surface (dental filler) through a simple in-situ coating technique. Further, the coating duration has been optimized to achieve an uniform Ag NPs coating. The coated Ag NPs are characterized using XRD where the phase is identified as face-centered cubic. FESEM analysis is performed for the gutta percha after being coated with Ag NPs for 30 min, 60 min, and 60 + 60 min where the FESEM images substantiate the fact as the coating time increases, the population of Ag NPs on gutta percha also increases and consequently, its anti-bacterial activity increases validated through the zone of inhibition and colony counting studies. The mechanism behind the antibacterial activity is elucidated using assays and found that Ag+ ionic release from the Ag NPs coated gutta percha is responsible. Moreover, the stability of the coating is assessed and found to display comparable antibacterial activity as that of the coated specimen (before stability testing) substantiating the durability of the coating. From all the obtained results, the coating system developed in this study can serve as a potential antibacterial coating for gutta percha.

Automated summary

Root canal treatment is the most effective method for treating pulpal damage, but bacterial infections are a major constraint. To combat this, an antibacterial coating of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) has been introduced onto gutta percha using a simple in-situ coating technique. The optimized coating duration results in a uniform coating, which has been characterized as face-centered cubic phase using XRD. Increasing the coating time increases the population of Ag NPs on gutta percha, enhancing its antibacterial activity as confirmed through zone of inhibition and colony counting studies. The antibacterial activity is attributed to the release of Ag+ ions from the coated gutta percha. The stability of the coating has been assessed and found to exhibit comparable antibacterial activity, validating its durability. This study demonstrates the potential of the developed coating system as an antibacterial coating for gutta percha.