Krishnaprasad Shetty, Satish SV, Krishna Rao Kilaru, Farhan Abdul Azeez, Snehalata Patil, Basavana gouda Sangam, Alexander M Luke

ABSTRACT

Background- Dentin hypersensitivity is a common clinical condition and age-old complaint, presenting problems and discomfort for both the patient and the dentist. The condition may deter a person from maintaining proper oral hygiene further deteriorating oral health. Aim- To evaluate and compare the efficacy of two different commercially available desensitizing agents and acidulated sodium fluoride (NaF) gel 0.33% with or without the iontophoretic procedure for relieving dentin hypersensitivity. Study design- Experimental cross-sectional study. Materials and methods- Hypersensitive teeth were identified clinically by giving a light stroke in the cervical area of teeth using a dental explorer. 96 subjects fulfilling the criteria were divided into 4 study groups. Group A- 0.33% acidulated NaF with iontophoresis, Group B- 0.33% acidulated NaF , Group C- Novamin(shy-NM) and Group D- thermoseal RA. The patients response was recorded on a 4 point verbal rating scale (VRS). Statistical Analysis- Was carried out using the 19th version of SPSS software. Comparison of the mean score at different time intervals was assessed by student's paired t-test and one way ANOVA test. P value <0.05 and <0.01 were considered statistically significant and highly significant respectively. Results- All the desensitizing agents used in this study have significantly reduced the discomfort but 0.33% acidulated NaF with iontophoresis has shown better efficacy at the end of one month by reducing Dentinal hypersensitivity upto 95 %. Conclusion- 0.33% Acidulated NaF with iontophoresis has shown to be better in efficacy than the other agents.