Effectiveness of LED-curing light photodynamic therapy with curcumin (cur-aPDT) as a disinfection method in root canal

Background: Root canal treatment (RCT) is an endodontic treatment that reduces microbial growth and provides a suitable environment to induce periradicular healing. The prevalence of root canal treatment failure caused by Enterococcus faecalis bacteria reaches 90% because the bacteria form biofilms to defend themselves against antibacterial agents. Although the conventional use of NaOCl as a disinfectant has been well-known for a long time, improved disinfection methods are needed to optimize root canal treatment. One of the treatments that can provide better results through reducing the number of microbes is photodynamic therapy (aPDT) mediated with curcumin compound (Cur- aPDT) as a photosensitizer. Curcumin is a compound that can be used as a root canal disinfecting agent which can increase dentin bond strength through its antimicrobial and antioxidant activities with its natural pigment as a photosensitizer. Materials and Methods: The literature review was carried out on PUBMED, MDPI, and Sciencedirect databases with a limit of 2019-2024 to identify published research on the antimicrobial effectiveness of Cur-aPDT as a root canal disinfection method. Conclusion: This review shows that Cur-aPDT is an effective method to disinfect root canals.