The effects of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) with nanotechnology-applied curcumin and 450nm blue led irradiation on multi-species biofilms in root canals.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) utilizing nanotechnology-applied curcumin activated by blue LED (450 nm) on the elimination of microorganisms arranged in multispecies biofilms inside the root canals of extracted human teeth. Forty single-rooted human teeth were used; these were randomized into four experimental groups, each comprising 10 teeth: control group, no treatment; photosensitizer (PS) group, nanotechnology-applied curcumin alone; light group, blue LED used separately; and aPDT group, nanotechnology-applied curcumin activated by blue LED. To carry out the tests, the interiors of the root canals were inoculated with species of Candida albicans (ATCC 90029), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (ATCC 43300), using a multispecies biofilm. After the incubation period, the canals were treated according to the experimental groups, with no treatment given in the control group. Studied inasmuch as the antimicrobial effectiveness of aPDT was concerned, it was observed that the greatest reduction in microbial counts using aPDTs was achieved against MRSA (mean reduction = 2.48 Log10 CFU/mL), followed by Escherichia coli (mean reduction = 1.72), and Enterococcus faecalis (mean reduction = 1.65); a reduction greater than 1.5 Log10 CFU/mL showed relevant effectiveness of aPDT against these microorganisms. Of note, aPDT has also shown considerable effectiveness against Candida albicans (mean reduction = 0.71), with a statistical difference in the reduction between the groups. aPDT was effective in reducing all microorganisms examined. The average reduction was greater than 1.5 Log10 in all microorganisms except for Candida albicans. HIGHLIGHTS: • aPDT was a viable treatment for root canals; • Nanotechnological curcumin aPDT was effective in reducing multispecies biofilm microorganisms; • aPDT technique showed efficacy under the worst microbiological conditions , such as mature multispecies biofilm; • Nanotechnological curcumin aPDT was able to reduce Gram positive, negative bacterial and yeasts in root canals.