The occluding effects of layered calcium phosphate and cyanoacrylate on dentinal tubules: a SEM study

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is characterized by short and sharp pain that impacts quality of life. Effective management focuses on occluding exposed dentinal tubules. This study compared the effectiveness of intermittent and simultaneous calcium phosphate (CP) application with cyanoacrylate (CA) in tubule occlusion.

Eighty extracted human premolars without periodontal disease were used to prepare standardized root dentin specimens. After removal of the crowns and apical thirds, disk-shaped fragments were obtained and treated with EDTA to remove the smear layer. The specimens were then randomly allocated to eight groups and treated with CP, CA, or their combination using different protocols (single, multiple, intermittent, or simultaneous layers). All samples were stored in artificial saliva until examination. Dentin tubule occlusion was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and quantitative measurements of tubule exposure and diameter were performed. Statistical analyses were conducted using nonparametric tests, with the significance level set at p < .05.

The CA and CP + CA groups were most effective in occluding dentinal tubules (p < .01). Intermittent CP application showed similar results to these groups and was more effective than simultaneous application (p < .01). In addition, a positive correlation was found between the number and diameter of exposed tubules across all groups (p < .01).

Intermittent CP application enhanced tubule occlusion compared with simultaneous use. Under the limitations of this in vitro study, the addition of CA to CP produced outcomes comparable to those of intermittently applied CP.