Evaluation of Antifungal Agents for Endodontic Use

¹ School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Thirty-five antifungal agents were screened by the paper-disk method to determine their relative degree of effectiveness. Of these agents, five were also studied by the tube-dilution method, namely, domiphen bromide, nifuroxime, sodium caprylate, episol tartrate, and episol hydrochloride, which are here given in the relative order of effectiveness.

The antifungal agents were also tested for their irritating potential by injecting subcutaneously 0.1 ml. of an effective concentration, previously determined, into guinea pigs. The degree of irritation ranged from no irritation to necrosis among the 19 agents tested.

Nifuroxime in a 0.1 percent concentration was found to be highly effective and also produced no irritation as compared with the same amount of sterile saline solution.