comparison of antimicrobial efficacy of iki and naocl irrigants in infected root canals: an in vivo study

introduction: effective debridement of the root canal system with chemical irrigants prior to obturation is the key to long-term success of endodontic therapy. the purpose of this study is to compare the antibacterial activity of 2.5% sodium hypochlorite (naocl) and 2% iodine potassium iodide (iki) solutions as intracanal disinfectant in infected root canals during one-visit endodontic treatment procedure. materials and methods: thirty single-rooted teeth with necrotic pulps in 27 patients were selected according to specific inclusion/exclusion criteria and divided into two random groups. in group i, canals were irrigated with 2.5% naocl during instrumentation and in group ii canals were initially irrigated with sterile saline during biomechanical preparation and then exposed to a 5-minute final irrigation with 2% iki. bacterial samples were taken before treatment (s 1 ), and at the end of treatment (s 2 ). mann-whitney u test was used for analysis. results: bacteria were present in all initial samples. naocl was able to significantly reduce the number of colony forming units (cfu) from s 1 to s 2 in approximately 90% of canals. only 15% reductions in cfus occurred after irrigation/instrumentation in group ii; this degree of disinfection was not statistically significant. conclusion: according to this study, although root canal irrigation with 2.5% naocl could not eradicate all bacteria within the canals; it was significantly superior in comparison with 2% iki use.