Aims and Objectives:The purpose of the study was to evaluate and compare the microhardness of enamel after the application of anticay on bleached enamel with fluoride containing and fluoride free bleaching agent.Materials and Methods:Twenty freshly extracted teeth decoronated and divided mesiodistally into two halves were randomly divided into five groups with 10 samples in each group. The enamel surface was treated as follows: Group 1 - no treatment, Group 2 - fluoride free bleaching agent, Group 3 - fluoride containing bleaching agent, and Group 4 - fluoride free bleaching agent followed by anticay application. The samples were subjected to indentation to test the microhardness using Vicker's hardness analyzer.Conclusion:Enamel microhardness significantly increased in samples where anticay was used after the application of bleaching agent.

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of grape seed extract (GSE) as a gutta-percha disinfectant and to compare the efficacy with 5% sodium hypochlorite, 2.5% sodium hypochlorite, and 2% chlorhexidine against Bacillus subtilis.Materials and methods: Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of GSE were calculated by serial dilution and well-diffusion method. Five hundred gutta-percha cones of ISO size 25 were divided into 10 equal groups (n = 50). The 10 groups of gutta-percha cones were inoculated with cultured Bacillus species and incubated for 72 hours for allowing bacterial growth. Each group was then treated with the test solutions for 1 and 5 minutes. The treated groups of gutta-percha cones were then incubated in brain heart infusion agar allowing for bacterial growth, which were later analyzed by the turbidity of the medium. The results were statistically analyzed.Results: Gutta-percha cones when treated with 2% chlorhexidine gluconate for 1 and 5 minutes showed the most inhibiting activity against B. subtilis. Grape seed extract was found to have limited activity against B. subtilis in both 1-and 5-minute interval. Both concentrations of NaOCl, 2.5 and 5%, showed reduced activity against B. subtilis. Conclusion:Grape seed extract though has antibacterial activity, when used as gutta-percha disinfectant, was found to be less effective than chlorhexidine gluconate against B. subtilis.Clinical significance: Different methods of gutta-percha cone disinfection have been advocated and GSE for gutta-percha cone disinfection was attempted owing to its herbal antibacterial nature.

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