Prevalence of dentin hypersensitivity: Systematic review and meta-analysis

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of dentin hypersensitivity in various populations.

Four electronic databases (Medline via PubMed, Cochrane Library, Wiley Online Library and Web of Science) were searched until June 2018.

Cross-sectional studies on the prevalence of dentin hypersensitivity were included. Meta-analysis were conducted and meta-regression models were used to explain the variation of the prevalence measures. Data were extracted, and the studies were assessed for quality.

A total of 65 papers (reporting on 77 studies) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence range was observed to be as low as 1.3% and as high as 92.1%. Effect modifiers for dentin hypersensitivity prevalences were the type of participants included in the study, age range, recruitment strategy and number of study sites. Higher prevalences were observed in studies involving specialty practice patients, younger adults, convenience sample and those characterized as single-site.

The best estimate of dentin hypersensitivity was 11.5% (95%CI:11.3%-11.7%) and the average from all studies was 33.5% (95%CI: 30.2%-36.7%). The extremely high degree of heterogeneity among studies can only be partially explained by characteristics of the studies.

Dentin hypersensitivity is a persistent clinical problem that poses significant challenge for clinicians and affects patients' quality of life. Better understanding of the dentin hypersensitivity burden and its associated factors can assist on resource planning for reducing/preventing any discomfort arising from this condition and will aid in the decision-making process.