Antifungal effects of endodontic medicaments.

The eradication of root canal infection is paramount in endodontic treatment. Because fungi are involved in some types of root canal infections, the purpose of this study was to investigate the antifungal effects of several medicaments against the following selected fungal species: Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida guilliermondii, Candida parapsilosis, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The agar diffusion test was the method used. Calcium sulphate or zinc oxide in glycerin showed no inhibitory effects towards any selected fungal species. The pastes of calcium sulphate or calcium hydroxide in camphorated paramonochlorophenol (CPMC)/glycerin showed the most pronounced antifungal effects. Calcium hydroxide in glycerin or chlorhexidine, and chlorhexidine in a detergent also showed antifungal activity, which was, however, much lower than the pastes of calcium sulphate or calcium hydroxide in CPMC/glycerin. Strategies using medicaments that have antifungal effects may assist in the successful management of persistent or secondary endodontic infections caused by fungi.