Newly formulated Ajwain oil obuturating material shows promising results in Deciduous Root Canal

Ajwain oil (A), derived from seeds of a medicinal herb, has been popularly known in ancient ayurvedic science for numerous benefits, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activity. The most frequently utilized material for obturating primary teeth to date is ZOE cement. The exact diagnosis, viable cleaning, complete decontamination, and appropriate obturation of root canals are the significant elements to achieving predictable endodontic therapy results.

A recent study reveals the combination of materials like as zinc oxide (ZO) admixed with ajwain oil (A) as well as ajwain eugenol (E) (1:1 ratio) was effective in treating the inflammation as well as was compatible against ZOE cement.

The study published in The International Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry mainly aimed to assess the biocompatibility of newly formulated materials such as zinc oxide (ZO) admixed with ajwain oil (A) as well as ajwain eugenol (E) (1:1 ratio) against ZOE through an animal model as root canal obturating materials in deciduous teeth.

The study involved randomly selected 24 albino rats, which were divided into three groups based on test materials. Two polyethylene tubes (PETT) (8 mm long × 1 mm internal diameter) were inserted into connective tissues of the dorsal side on either side of each rat viz empty tube (negative control) and another containing test material (test group). Animals were sacrificed at the end of the 7th and 21st days. PETT with surrounding connective tissues were excised. Histopathological evaluations of the material’s biocompatibility were done by determining inflammatory tissue responses. Non-parametric tests such as Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U were used for statistical analysis (p < 0.05).

The study found that

• Histopathological examination on the 7th day showed increased polymorphonuclear cells for all test materials compared to the negative control (p = 0.92), suggesting acute inflammation.

• The inflammation subsided gradually after 21 days (p = 0.48).

• The lymphocytes increased after 21 days for all the materials indicating chronic inflammation (p = 0.79), as well as fibroblasts (p = 0.34) and capillaries (p = 0.35), indicating healing and repair.

The researchers found a significant difference in the newly formulated materials and ended, “The newly formulated obturating materials were found to be biocompatible compared to ZOE.”

Reference: Dahake PT, Joshi SS, Kale YJ, et al. Biocompatibility of Ajwain Oil Combined with Eugenol and Zinc Oxide as a Deciduous Root Canal Obturating Material: An In Vivo Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(3):431–436.