ObjectivesTo systematically review the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) for removal of Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) in root canal therapy.MethodsWe searched PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CBM, WanFang Data, CNKI and VIP databases to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on PDT versus NaClO for removal of E. faecalis from inception to October, 2018. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 17 RCTs were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that, comparing PDT with 5.25%NaClO, there was no significant difference in the remaining colony-forming units (CFUs) of E. faecalis between both groups (MD=0.55, 95%CI −0.72 to 1.83, P=0.40); comparing PDT with 2.5%NaClO, there was no significant difference in the remaining CFUs of E. faecalis between both groups (MD=0.54, 95%CI −0.32 to 1.41, P=0.22).ConclusionsThe current evidence indicates that PDT and NaClO show similar efficacy against the intracanal E. faecalis. Due to the limited quality and quantity of included studies, more high quality studies are required to verify the above conclusions.