Diagnosis and treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity

This bibliographic review provides a general view of the etiology, characteristics and treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity, so that professionals can use this information in the therapeutic management of this clinical condition. For this purpose, the authors have analyzed whole texts of relevant articles on the subject. This study showed that the predisposing factors associated with the causes of dentinal hypersensitivity must be controlled or eliminated, by educating the patient regarding the excessive intake of acidic food, as well as providing guidance on the proper tooth brushing technique and analysis of occlusion. Effective treatment must be preceded by a proper diagnosis, established after the exclusion of any other possible causes of the pain. These cases must be managed efficiently, quickly and permanently. The availability of a wide variety of treatment could be an indicator that there is still no effective desensitizing agent to completely resolve the patient's discomfort, or that it is difficult to treat, irrespective of the available treatment options. Even with the large number of published studies, it has not been possible to reach a consensus about the product that represents the gold standard in the treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity.