Dentine hypersensitivity: a review

Dentine hypersensitivity is a relatively common pain condition. Local pulpal inflammation, traumatic oral hygiene and dietary habits have been considered in the etiology of dentine hypersensitivity. Dentine hypersensitivity is probably caused by a change in fluid flow in the dentinal tubules, which in turn excites the nerve endings located at the pulp-dentine border. Consequently, treatment success would depend on the prevention of fluid flow across the dentinal tubules (sodium fluoride, stannous fluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate, strontium chloride, sodium citrate, potassium oxalate, and resins/adhesives), or on the desensitization of the nerve endings located at the pulp-dentine border (potassium nitrate). Although a wide variety of treatment methods have been available, clinical data is characterized with ambiguity, warranting further research of the factors which could possibly be implicated in the occurrence of dentine hypersensitivity.