{
  "abstract": "Background/purpose\n\nResidual apical biofilm often persists despite sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) irrigation with sonic or ultrasonic activation. Submicron diamond particles (SMD) have shown promise as a particle-assisted adjunct for root canal cleaning, but their effects on mature sintracanal biofilm remain unclear. This study evaluated whether 500-nm SMD particles (10 mg/mL) improve the antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy of saline or NaOCl irrigation against mature Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) biofilms.Materials and methods\n\nOne hundred single-rooted human premolars infected with E. faecalis for 21 days were randomly allocated to ten irrigation protocols (n = 10). Antibacterial efficacy was assessed by colony-forming units (CFU), biofilm-forming capacity by crystal violet assay (OD₅₉₀), and residual biofilm by scanning electron microscopy in the coronal, middle, and apical thirds. Data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis, pairwise Mann-Whitney U tests, and Bonferroni correction.Results\n\nAll outcomes differed significantly among protocols (P < 0.001). NaOCl protocols significantly reduced CFU counts versus the no-irrigation and saline controls (P ≤ 0.008), but SMD produced no statistically significant additional CFU reduction. In contrast, NaOCl + SMD protocols showed lower biofilm-forming capacity than NaOCl activation without SMD (P = 0.008) and the lowest apical residual biofilm scores (median 1.0; most specimens <5% coverage), significantly lower than all other protocols (P ≤ 0.002).Conclusion\n\nSMD improved apical biofilm removal, whereas no statistically significant additional reduction in CFU counts was demonstrated, indicating a region-specific mechanical adjunctive role rather than a general improvement.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Dentistry, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.",
    "Department of Endodontology, Taipei Municipal Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.",
    "Division of Oral Rehabilitation and Center of Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Dentistry, Taipei, Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.",
    "Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yung-Szu Hsu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Nai-Chia Teng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sin-Yu Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Huan-Cheng Chang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Haw-Ming Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Sung-Chih Hsieh"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/85qacsqaxbxkz.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.jds.2025.07.3696",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13689661",
  "id": "85qacsqaxbxkz",
  "issns": [
    "1991-7902",
    "2213-8862"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42924220",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3504|Endodontics and Root Canal Treatments"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223556215",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13689661?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13689661",
  "pmid": "42924220",
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/85qacsqaxbxkz.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:36Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42924220",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42924220"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [],
  "title": "Submicron diamond-assisted irrigation enhances apical biofilm removal under sonic and ultrasonic activation: An ex vivo study.",
  "title_text": "Submicron diamond-assisted irrigation enhances apical biofilm removal under sonic and ultrasonic activation: An ex vivo study.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:36Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/85qacsqaxbxkz",
  "venue": "Journal of dental sciences",
  "versions": []
}