Microorganisms growth in endodontic citric-acid solutions with and without microbiological stabilizer

The purpose of this study was to determine if citric-acid solutions for endodontic use can become contaminated and if the addition of a microbiological stabilizer to the acid would modify this situation. Five types of microorganisms were inoculated in tubes containing 10% citric-acid solutions, pH 1.8 (group A1), and 10% solution, pH 1.8, combined with 0.1 % sodium benzoate (group A2). The results demonstrated that solutions of group A1 were contaminated with Candida albicans in 100% of the tubes, Escherichia coli in 80%, and Enterococcus faecalis in 50%. When stabilizer was added (group A2), C. albicans grew in only 30% of tubes and all bacterial species were neutralized.