Clinical efficacy of resin-based materials for dentin hypersensitivity treatment

To evaluate the effect of three resin-based materials in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity (DH) up to a 6-month follow-up.

30 participants (179 teeth) with DH were enrolled in this randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical study. The teeth were randomly allocated into one of three groups: CV (resin-modified glass ionomer varnish - Clinpro XT Varnish), CP (fluoride-containing self-etch adhesive - Clearfil SE Protect) and GB (glutaraldehyde-containing etch-and-rinse adhesive - Gluma 2 Bond). The materials were applied according to the manufacturer's instructions. DH was evaluated by subjects' perception measured on a 0-10 visual analog scale (VAS) after evaporative (air blast) stimuli. The scores were recorded at baseline, immediately and at 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment. The data were analyzed by a two-way ANOVA with repeated measures for "time" and Games-Howell test (α = 0.05).

ANOVA detected statistically significant differences among the time intervals, but not among the materials or interactions. There was a significant decrease in sensitivity scores from baseline to all the time points (P< 0.05). However, the differences were not statistically significant among the follow-ups, from immediately until 6 months after treatment (P> 0.05). All the resin-based materials were able to reduce DH up to 6 months after treatment.

Resin-based materials used as desensitizing agents were effective in reducing DH after a 6-month period and so could be recommended as a safe treatment for sensitive teeth.