Abstract
BackgroundThe current investigation examined the determinants of oral health experiences associated with dentine hypersensitivity using prospective diary methodology.MethodsStaff and students from a large UK university who had self-diagnosed dentine hypersensitivity completed an online daily diary and text survey for 2 weeks recording their mood, oral health-related coping behaviours, coping and pain appraisals, pain experiences and functional limitations. Cross sectional and lagged path analyses were employed to examine relationships.ResultsOne hundred one participants took part in the diary study. Participants had a mean age of 26.3 years (range = 18–63) and most were female (N = 69). Individuals who used more oral health-related coping behaviours predicted and experienced greater levels of pain on subsequent days. Negative mood also predicted worse pain outcomes. The daily diary method provided a useful avenue for investigating variations in oral health experiences and relationships between variables that can fluctuate daily.ConclusionsPsychological variables such as coping and mood play an important role in the pain experiences of people with dentine hypersensitivity. The study highlights the benefits of using prospective methods to elucidate the experiences of people with oral conditions.
Highlights
The current investigation examined the determinants of oral health experiences associated with dentine hypersensitivity using prospective diary methodology
People with dentine hypersensitivity use a number of dentine hypersensitivity-related coping behaviours, which are problem focused such as warming cold food/drinks up before consuming them and the use of toothpaste specially formulated for sensitive teeth [4, 11]
Perceived efficacy of pain coping was assessed on a 5point scale (1 = not at all, 2 = slightly, 3 = somewhat, 4 = moderately, 5 = very much) in response to the item ‘Considering all the things you did or thought today to contend with your pain, how much were you able to alleviate your pain by doing or thinking these things?’ [14]
Summary
The current investigation examined the determinants of oral health experiences associated with dentine hypersensitivity using prospective diary methodology. Dentine hypersensitivity affects approximately half of the population and the pain associated with this condition can limit oral functions such as eating and tooth brushing, which negatively affect individual oral health related quality of life [1,2,3,4,5]. Previous research has revealed that key psychological factors can impact on the quality of life of people with dentine hypersensitivity [6], the symptoms of this condition are transient and fluctuate frequently. Even the self-management of dentine hypersensitivity can vary frequently as people may only use products occasionally. For this reason, study designs that enquire about dentine hypersensitivity need to allow adequate investigation of the everyday experience of the condition and factors that may influence this experience.
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