Intraoral fluoride releasing device: a new clinical therapy for dentine sensitivity

BACKGROUND: Dentinal sensitivity (DS) occurs frequently in adult populations in western countries. The purpose of this work was to assess the effectiveness of a new intraoral fluoride releasing device (IFRD) in reducing the level of pain in patients with primary or postsurgical dentine sensitivity. METHODS: A total of 49 individuals were selected for this study, 15 of whom had post-periodontal surgery dentine sensitivity and 34 with primary sensitivity. An IFRD was applied to 39, while 10 received a placebo device. All individuals in the control group suffered from primary sensitivity. The IFRD used in this study consists of sodium fluoride encased in an acrylic polymer which releases fluoride at a rate of approximately 0.04 mg/day. All patients were asked to rinse with cold water (10 degrees C) and to indicate the level of pain on a 0 to 10 visual analog scale, 0 equalling "no pain" and 10 "maximum bearable pain." All subjects were evaluated once a week during 4 months. Statistical analysis of dentine sensitivity was performed as a univariate study, in relation to the main factors: age, gender, and primary sensitivity or postsurgical etiology. RESULTS: Symptoms decreased dramatically in all treated patients. The level of sensitivity did not change during the first week after IFRD application, but decreased significantly within the fourth week and remained absent through the duration of the treatment (P <0.01). Difference in sensitivity with respect to different etiology was significant only after 4 weeks (P= 0.01), while there was no statistical difference with respect to age or gender. CONCLUSIONS: This paper is an initial study to evaluate the effectiveness of the IFRD. The method is fast, painless, inexpensive, and it appears to be suitable as a routine treatment. The presented data support the conclusions at this stage and warrant more comprehensive evaluation.