RESUMO
Introduction: This review article aims to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of Aloe vera against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) in comparison to other intracanal medicaments by assessing experimental in-vitro studies associated with the objective, many of which performed bacterial inoculation on extracted human teeth or directly on laboratory petri dishes. Materials & Methods: Publications from 2012 to 2022 were retrieved from databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library, and they were screened against our inclusion criteria, leading to the incorporation of 18 studies into the systematic review and nine into the meta-analysis. Colony-forming units (CFUs) in the Aloe vera group were compared with saline, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), chlorhexidine (CHX), and calcium hydroxide (CaOH) using a meta-analysis (Stata software version 16.0), and forest plots were computed to record the sample size, mean and standard deviation value of the outcome CFU, and 95% confidence intervals. Results: This systematic review indicates that Aloe vera demonstrates bactericidal properties that are higher than or similar to those of saline and CaOH, but CHX, NaOCl, and propolis exhibited higher antibacterial properties against E. faecalis than Aloe vera. In a meta-analysis, Aloe vera showed a non-significantly lower CFU count than CaOH and saline (p > 0.05), while Aloe vera had a higher CFU count than CHX and NaOCl (p > 0.05). Conclusion: In summary, Aloe vera exhibits antibacterial capabilities against E. faecalis that are superior or equal to those of saline and CaOH, respectively, while CHX and NaOCl showed greater antibacterial efficacy against E. faecalis than Aloe vera (PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022314790).
RESUMO
This study evaluated the shear bond strength (SBS) of a traditional orthodontic bracket bonding agent (Transbond XT) against two self-etch, self-adhesive systems (Maxcem Elite and Vertise Flow). Sixty premolar teeth and sixty brackets were randomly and equally divided into five groups: Transbond XT (TXT) as the control, Maxcem Elite (ME) without etching, ME with etching (ME/ Etch), Vertise Flow (VF) without etching, and VF with etching (VF/Etch). Respective SBS results of the five groups were 9.86±3.20, 4.67±2.94, 7.82±2.56, 2.55±0.77, and 7.89±1.17 MPa. SBS values of the new self-etch adhesive systems were significantly lower than the traditional etch-and-rinse control (p<0.005). However, no significant differences were found between TXT and the self-adhesives applied with etching (p>0.005). After debonding, ARI scores "0" and "1" were predominant in non-etched ME and VF groups. It was concluded that new self-etch, self-adhesive bonding systems require additional phosphoric acid application to achieve comparable SBS values as the traditional orthodontic bonding agent.
