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Topical Alternatives for Preventing and/or Reducing Sensitivity Caused by In-Office Tooth Bleaching: A Scoping Review
Erik Vinícius Martins Jácome1, Jaderson Felipe Santos Dantas2, Patricia Bittencourt Santos2
1Multicenter Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (UERN), Mossoró, Brazil.
Objective:
This scoping review aimed to (1) map, analyse, interpret and synthesize data from clinical trials on topical alternatives used to prevent and/or reduce sensitivity caused by in-office tooth bleaching; and (2) characterize the available evidence on their use for managing sensitivity.
Design:
This scoping review followed Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA-ScR methods, with comprehensive searches of PubMed, Virtual Health Library, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect through August 2026. English-language clinical trials were included, and studies without a control group were excluded. Risk of bias and certainty of evidence were assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool and the GRADE approach, respectively.
Results:
From 742 potentially eligible articles, 35 were included. Desensibilize KF 2% (n = 13), Desensibilize Nano P paste (n = 3), Toothpaste Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief (n = 2), and Toothpaste Sensodyne ProNamel (n = 2) were the most frequently tested alternatives. The most common desensitization protocol involved 10-min application (n = 16) before bleaching (n = 28). Tooth sensitivity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale or Numerical Rating Scale (n = 32). However, substantial heterogeneity in bleaching interventions and topical protocols limited the available evidence. Risk of bias was predominantly low (62.9%), while evidence certainty was rated as "Low" for tooth sensitivity and "High" for bleaching efficacy.
Conclusions:
Gels containing 5% potassium nitrate and 2% sodium fluoride were the most frequently investigated topical alternatives, showing favourable results in preventing and/or reducing tooth sensitivity among the included clinical trials. These topical alternatives did not compromise the bleaching agents' efficacy.
