Management of dentin hypersensitivity by practitioners in The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is a condition commonly encountered in clinical dental practice. The authors conduct a study to identify the treatments recommended to manage DH among dentists in the United States.

The authors conducted a multicenter study of 1,862 patients with DH who received a diagnosis and were treated by 171 dentists with The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.

The most common treatment recommended was desensitizing over-the-counter (OTC) potassium nitrate toothpaste (alone or in combination with other treatments) for 924 of 1,862 patients (50%). This was followed by an application of fluoride varnish (FV) for 516 patients (28%) and a prescription for fluoride toothpaste for 314 patients (17%). Restorative treatments were recommended to 151 patients (8%). The most common single treatment recommendation was desensitizing OTC potassium nitrate toothpaste, recommended to 335 patients (18%). The most frequent combination of 2 treatment modalities was FV and desensitizing OTC potassium nitrate toothpaste, recommended to 100 patients (5%). A total of 890 of 1,862 patients (48%) with DH received a recommendation for 1 treatment modality, and 644 of 1,862 patients (35%) received a recommendation for a combination of 2 treatment modalities, most frequently an application of FV along with desensitizing OTC potassium nitrate toothpaste (100/1,862; 5%).

Desensitizing OTC potassium nitrate toothpaste and fluoride products were the most widely recommended products to manage DH in the practice setting.

Our results suggest that most network clinicians preferred noninvasive treatment modalities when treating DH.