Il management dell’ipersensibilità dentinale: dalla ricerca alla clinica

Objectives

The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the current state of knowledge about dentin hypersensitivity, in terms of epidemiology, aetiology/risk factors, pain mechanisms, diagnosis and management. Available products for treatment of dentin hypersensitivity are described and scientific and clinical research validating their efficacy is reviewed.

Materials and methods

Original papers, reviews and guidelines on the subject, published both in English and in Italian from 2009 to 2013, were retrieved from the Medline/Pubmed database. Additional publications were obtained by searching the reference list of the retrieved works.

Results and conclusions

The management of dentin hypersensitivity is based on the control of causal factors and on the application, at-home or in-office, of various products aimed to occlude patent tubules. In vitro methods suffer from some limitations in mimicking “real-life” individual behaviours and ecological variables in the oral environment, therefore randomized and controlled clinical trials are considered the gold standard to evaluate the efficacy of these products. The arginine-calcium carbonate complex has proved to be efficacious in providing instant and long-lasting relief. Further randomized and controlled clinical studies are needed to confirm the results of amorphous sodium calcium phosphosilicate and strontium acetate.