INTRODUCTION: With the advances in nanotechnology, nanomaterials are increasingly used in various fields due to their antibacterial properties
therefore, assessing the benefits and risks associated with the application of medicaments is imperative. This study evaluated the cytotoxicity of different concentrations of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and calcium hydroxide (CH) for MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cell line. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cells were exposed to triple antibiotic paste (TAP), AgNPs, CH, and different concentrations of AgNPs mixed with CH in 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 ratios for 24, 48, and 72 h. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, and also the colony formation assay (CFA) was performed. RESULTS: At 24 h, the TAP and AgNPs groups showed the highest and the CH-AgNPs/1:3 group had the lowest cell viability percentage in comparison to the other experimental groups. At 48 h, the TAP group showed the highest and the CH-AgNPs/1:3 group showed the lowest cell viability. At 72 h, the AgNPs and CH groups showed the highest viability, while the lowest viability was noted in the CH-AgNPs/1:3 and CH-AgNPs/1:2 groups. CONCLUSION: AgNPs showed the least cytotoxic effects in all periods. The addition of AgNPs to CH increases the cytotoxic effects of CH on experimental cells. After 48 and 72 h, CH-AgNPs/1:1 showed significantly higher cell viability in comparison to higher concentrations.