Purpose: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of five commercially available desensitizing agents with different mechanisms applied to hypersensitive teeth.
Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted on subjects suffering dentin hypersensitivity in Korea University Guro Hospital from October 2013 to April 2015. A total of 64 subjects met the selection criteria and were randomly assigned to five commercially available desensitizing agents, and applied according to the manufacturers' instructions. Before and after application of desensitizing agents, subjects were evaluated with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at baseline, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months. The difference between the degree of reduction of hypersensitivity in relation to time were evaluated with the repeated-measures ANOVA (P<0.05).
Results: Practitioner and subject-measured VAS values at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months showed a significant difference in all products compared with the first visit. On the other hand, no statistically significant differences between the products was shown. Desensitizing agents used in this clinical trial relieved dentin hypersensitivity up to 3 months.
Clinical significance: The five tested desensitizing agents with different mechanisms were clinically effective in relieving dentin hypersensitivity up to 3 months and showed statistically significant pain reduction when compared to baseline scores.