Diode laser and fluoride varnish in the management of dentin hypersensitivity

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of diode laser in combination with commercially available fluoride varnish to the fluoride varnish alone. Settings and Design: Randomized control trial; split mouth. Subjects and Methods: A total of 50 teeth from 14 patients with visual analog scale (VAS) >2 from both sexes were randomly allocated into two groups: 26 teeth in bifluoride group and 24 in laser + bifluoride group. Dentine hypersensitivity is evaluated with the help of VAS at the start of study, at 15 min; 15, 30, and 60 days. Teeth were subjected to vitality testing to rule out any pulpal pathology. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS version 17.0. Unpaired t test. Results: After 15 min both the treatment modalities were effective. The effectiveness of fluoride varnish in reducing evaporative stimulus (ES) was maintained until 15 days. However, the laser + fluoride varnish was more effective in reducing thermal stimulus (TS) at 15 days. At any given point of time, the effectiveness of laser + fluoride varnish was more than the varnish group. The effectiveness of laser also reduced after 30 days for both ES and TS. Conclusions: The diode laser and fluoride varnish are effective in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity. The combined effect is more than fluoride varnish alone, but for a short period.