Abstract: Calcium silicate cements (CSCs) are biomaterials with advantageous physicochemical properties, biocompatibility and bone regeneration ability, which have good prospects in the medical field. CSCs can create an alkaline environment by releasing Ca2+ and Si4+ that has antibacterial effects. The commonly used CSCs in clinical, such as mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and iRoot, have limited antibacterial properties which depend on concentration and time and have poor antibacterial effects on anaerobic bacteria and facultative anaerobic bacteria. New CSCs such as bioactive glass (BG), mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) and mesoporous calcium-silicate nanoparticles (MCSNs) can induce apatite mineralization, promote cell proliferation and induce osteogenesis better, but its antibacterial ability is still limited. The special mesoporous structure of MBG and MCSNs can be loaded with drugs, proteins and growth factors, which can not only maintain good physical and chemical properties of the materials, but also achieve effective delivery and controlled release of antibacterial drugs. Therefore, they are considered to be excellent biological carriers. This article reviews the antimicrobial properties of representative CSCs and their advances in root canal infection control.

Key words: calcium silicate cements, antibacterial, root canal infection control