RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the antifungal efficacy of a synthetic human beta-defensin-3-C15 peptide (HBD3-C15) in Candida albicans-infected human root dentin. METHODS: Standardized root dentin blocks were prepared (6-mm thick, 0.7-mm-wide canal) from single-rooted human permanent premolars and infected with C. albicans for 3 weeks. They were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 8/group), and their canals were filled with calcium hydroxide (CH), HBD3-C15 peptide, or chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX, 2%) as disinfectants or saline as control. After 1 week of disinfection, dentinal debris were harvested at depths of 200 and 400 µm from the canal lumen, and incubated in Yeast broth for 72 hours at 37°C. Then, colony-forming units (CFU) were measured to assess the antifungal efficacy of each medicament and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: All medicaments showed significantly lower CFU than saline (P < .05), and their antifungal efficacies were similar at both 200- and 400-µm tubular depths (P > .05). HBD3-C15 had similar antifungal efficacy to that of CHX at both depths (P > .05), and both medicaments had significantly lower CFU than CH at both depths (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: In this ex vivo model of C. albicans-infected human root dentin, the antifungal efficacy of synthetic HBD3-C15 was comparable with CHX.
