Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare disinfection of deciduous root canal by conventional chemomechanical debridement (CMD) with sodium hypochlorite (0.5%) vs laserassisted photodynamic therapy (PDT).
Materials and methods: Twelve children aged 4 to 7 years with informed consent from their parents were studied. Access cavities were prepared and culture samples were taken before the commencement of the therapy, after CMD using 0.5% sodium hypochlorite and after laser-assisted PDT using methylene blue (MB) dye. Samples were taken by placing a sterile paper cone into the canals and transferring them into brain heart infusion broth. The samples were then subjected for microbiological processing so as to count the total number of viable bacteria.
Results: Laser-treated canals showed a reduction in bacterial load by 99.99% as against 83.9% obtained after the use of conventional CMD with sodium hypochlorite.
Conclusion: Laser-assisted PDT can be used as an excellent adjunct to CMD to obtain near perfect disinfection of deciduous root canals.