Methods: Filter paper discs were immersed in spectrophotometrically standardized C. albicans (OD600=0.6) suspensions (10 min) and exposed to freshly mixed sealers in teflon wells (30 min), with or without a filter membrane placed between filter paper discs and sealers (membrane-restricted contact test and direct contact test, respectively). After exposure, the filter paper discs were transferred to vials containing phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and glass beads, and vortexed vigorously. PBS with resuspended yeast cells was serially diluted and 25 μL droplets were seeded on Brain Heart Agar plates. The plates were incubated in air at 37̊ C for 24-48 hours, colony-forming units were counted from appropriate dilutions. The data obtained were analysed using Student's t-test (α=0.05).
Results: AH Plus, MM-Seal and ActiV GP sealers killed the yeasts significantly in both tests (P < 0.05). Apexit Plus, Acroseal and EndoREZ sealers showed less antifungal activity than the other sealers tested (P < 0.05). EndoREZ was not statistically different from the control group. The insertion of a filter membrane impaired the activity of the test sealers. Conclusion: AH Plus, MM-Seal and ActiV GP sealers were found effective in reducing the number of cultivable cells of C. albicans.