Efficacy of Eucalyptus globulus essential oil from a plant species against Candida albicans
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Abstract
Introduction. In the dental field in endodontics, the presence of microorganisms, especially Candida albicans in periapical lesions, limits the success of treatment, although irrigants such as sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and calcium hydroxide are used as intraradicular medication, they are not always effective, thus the need to develop studies that involve other less invasive options than conventional antifungal agents. Objective. To determine the efficacy of Eucalyptus globulus essential oil against Candida albicans (ATCC 60193). Methodology. This was a longitudinal laboratory study in which the Candida albicans ATCC 60193 strain was inoculated and analyzed in triplicate, working with several exposure subgroups: proportions of essential oil of Eucalyptus globulus (50%, 75%, 100%) and for the control group injectable fluconazole 2 mg/mL (positive control) and purified water (negative control) were used, at an incubation period of 25º C, at 72 hours, the results were observed by visual inspection, the size of the areas where the growth of Candida albicans was stopped was measured in millimeters. Results. The 75% solution showed the greatest inhibition halo, but with a great variability in the data, in contrast to 100% which has a lower inhibitory effect than 75% but with less variability and a statistically significant difference, the 50% solution has the lowest inhibitory effect. Conclusion. This study highlights the variability in the antifungal effect of Eucalyptus globulus essential oil in arresting the growth of Candida albicans, these findings underline the importance of further research. General field of study: Health sciences. Specific field of study: Dentistry. Type of study: Original article.
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