Clinical evaluation of a fluoride gel, a low-level laser, and a resin varnish at the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity

Abstract

This clinical trial aims to evaluate in vivo the efficacy of a fluoride gel, a low-level laser (LLL), and a resin varnish at the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity (DH). Treatments assessed for their effectiveness, immediate analgesia, and duration of desensitization. A total of 78 patients (one tooth per patient) with a clinical diagnosis of dentin hypersensitivity were included in this clinical trial. Dentin sensitivity in response to an air blast stimulus was assessed, and a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain from 0 to 10 was chosen to quantify pain at baseline and 15 min, 1 month, and 3 months after the first application. Patients were randomly divided into three groups. In the first group (treatment A, 26 patients), a fluoride gel (Calmodent Professional, Intermed, Greece) was applied. In the second group (treatment B, 26 patients), teeth were irradiated by a 670-nm InGaAlP continuous wave, red diode laser (MED-701, Lasotronic, Switzerland) with an output power of 180 mW, energy of 5.4 J, and irradiation time of 30 s. In the third group (treatment C, 26 patients), a resin varnish with giomer technology (PRG Barrier Coat, Shofu, Japan) was applied. The main analysis of the results was done with a linear mixed model (algorithm MIXED, IBM Statistics SPSS 21.0), while pairwise comparisons were conducted with the Bonferroni method. The statistical significance for all tests was set at p < 0.05. The main effects of time and group were found to be statistically significant. The time × group interaction effect was also statistically significant, and finally, a significant reduction (p < 0.05) of DH was recorded in all groups, compared with baseline. All three treatments offered satisfactory and prolonged results.