Dentin hypersensitivity treatment with Nd:YAG laser: A systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To compare the efficacy of Nd:YAG laser to other chemical agents in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity.
 Methods: Pubmed, EbscoHost, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were searched for articles published between 2012 to 2022 in English, reporting randomized clinical trials, completed and with results. This systematic review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines with PROSPERO CRD42022325046, and a critical appraisal of the literature was assessed by using JBI’s Checklist for Randomized Controlled Trials.
 Results: From 5536 articles found in the search based on keywords, 354 were filtered based on study design and desired period range, and six randomized clinical trials were eligible for the systematic review, reporting patients from 18 to 65 years old, with clinical diagnosis of dentin hypersensitive, that evaluate the efficacy of Nd:YAG laser, compared to pre-treatment using visual analog scale, yeaple probe scale, verbal rating scale and laser doppler flowmetry (LDF). These studies evaluated 159 patients and at least 402 hypersensitive teeth. Follow-up periods were considered from immediate to six months post-treatment. All active ingredients and laser treatment effectively reduce dentin hypersensitive and can maintain its efficacy over time. Only one study suggested treatment with Nd:YAG laser is not significant compared to Er,Cr:YSGG laser.
 Conclusion: Nd:YAG presents a significant immediate reduction of dentin hypersensitive and shows promising results in the long time effects. More standardized evaluation protocols should be implemented to increase the robustness of the results.
 Keywords: Dentin hypersensitivity, tooth sensitivity, dentin hypersensitivity treatment, laser, Nd:YAG, dentin desensitizing agent