Evaluation of the efficacy of three different treatment modalities in the management of dentinal hypersensitivity: A comparative study

Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of three different treatment modalities in the management of dentinal hypersensitivity (DH). Materials and methods: A split-mouth, randomized clinical study with a total of 30 (12 males and 18 females) patients aged between 18 years and 45 years, with 60 hypersensitive teeth, was conducted. The extent of DH was assessed using the tactile stimuli test and cold air blast. A total of 60 hypersensitive teeth from 30 patients were randomly divided into three groups: group I, hypersensitive teeth treated with iontophoresis with acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) gel; group II, hypersensitive teeth treated with a diode laser (DL); and group III, hypersensitive teeth treated with fluoride varnish. All the three groups were assessed for DH using visual analogue scale (VAS) at baseline and on days 15 and 30 after the initial treatment. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) repeated measure analysis was done and p < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Out of the 30 enrolled patients, 18 (60%) were females and 12 (40%) were males. Most of them (43.3%) were aged between 36 and 45 years. A majority of the included teeth were anterior [32(53.3%)]. The mean VAS scores among three groups for tactile stimulus response showed a maximum reduction (1.90 ± 1.20) of DH in group II with a DL after 30 days. Similar reductions were recorded in the mean VAS scores among three groups for cold air blast stimulus response, with maximum reduction (2.02 ± 0.10) of DH in group II after 30 days. A statistically significant difference was observed among all the three groups. Conclusion: The present study concluded that a 980 nm wavelength DL demonstrated significantly greater reduction of DH followed by iontophoresis with APF and fluoride varnish, respectively.