{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T11:41:34Z","timestamp":1790163694952,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,27]],"date-time":"2025-09-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758931200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.mdpi.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Periradicular disease is largely microbial in origin. Even gutta-percha (GP) cones manufactured under aseptic conditions can acquire contaminants during handling or storage, undermining otherwise adequate canal preparation. To assess residual antimicrobial activity on GP cones after brief exposure to five endodontic disinfectants: sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) 1%, 2.5%, 5.25%; chlorhexidine (CHX) 2%; and glutaraldehyde 2% against Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans. Methods: Standardized GP cones were dipped for 5\u2013120 s, blotted on neutralizing gauze, and placed on agar inoculated with either organism. Using an agar diffusion approach, inhibition-zone diameters were recorded at 0, 24, and 48 h. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, and 95% confidence intervals) for each disinfectant\u2013dip-time combination. Results: By 24 h, inhibition zones were observed for most disinfectants; for C. albicans, glutaraldehyde 2% showed no measurable effect. At later time points, performance depended on both disinfectant and contact time. For E. faecalis, NaOCl 2.5% and 5.25% yielded the largest zones at 48 h (20\u201321 mm at 120 s), whereas NaOCl 1% was smaller (10 mm) and glutaraldehyde 2% modest (9 mm). For C. albicans, NaOCl 2.5% and CHX 2% were most effective at 48 h (17\u201319 mm at 120 s); NaOCl 5.25% was intermediate, NaOCl 1% weak, and glutaraldehyde 2% showed no measurable antifungal effect. Longer immersions (\u226545 s) consistently increased inhibition zone diameters. Conclusions: Residual antimicrobial activity on GP cones depends on both the agent and the immersion time. For E. faecalis, higher concentration NaOCl produced the largest zones at short contact time, whereas for C. albicans, CHX 2% and NaOCl 2.5% provided the most reliable carryover. Selecting an appropriate concentration and allowing sufficient dip time may reduce reinfection risk at obturation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14196846","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]],"date-time":"2025-09-29T14:01:39Z","timestamp":1759154499000},"page":"6846","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["In Vitro Evaluation of Disinfectants on Gutta-Percha Cones: Antimicrobial Efficacy Against Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0508-0383","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tringa","family":"Kelmendi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dental Pathology and Endodontics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Prishtina, 10000 Prishtina, Kosovo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-2694-5191","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Donika","family":"Bajrami Shabani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dental Pathology and Endodontics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Prishtina, 10000 Prishtina, Kosovo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3354-2194","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aida","family":"Meto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Aldent, 1007 Tirana, Albania"},{"name":"Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with Interest in Transplant, Oncology, and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio, Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Dr. D.Y. Patil Dental College and Hospital, Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pimpri, Pune 411018, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8610-3427","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hani","family":"Ounsi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"195","article-title":"Root canal filling materials: A review","volume":"13","author":"Kandaswamy","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Conserv. Dent."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"571","DOI":"10.4103\/0972-0707.144607","article-title":"Disinfection of gutta-percha cones using three reagents and their residual effects","volume":"17","author":"Chandrappa","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Conserv. 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