Elsevier

Dental Abstracts

Volume 63, Issue 1, January–February 2018, Pages 44-45
Dental Abstracts

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Mouthwash to reduce pain

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.denabs.2017.09.036Get rights and content

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Background

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is characterized by pain when exposed dentin is stimulated by chemical, thermal, tactile, or osmotic agents. It is not related to any other dental disease or condition. Many therapies have been developed, but the best management option remains unclear because the actual cause of DH and the mode of action of the various interventions remain in doubt. Scientific evidence is lacking in support of any specific therapeutic option. A systematic review was done to

Methods

Searches were done of MEDLINE, PubMed and the Cochrane Plus Library up to February 2015. The duration of follow-up was required to be at least 6 weeks and the report had to detail changes in response to tactile stimuli, thermal/evaporative stimuli, or patients' subjective report of the pain experienced after using the desensitizing agent. Seven articles met the criteria and were considered for meta-analysis. Follow-up was 6 weeks in 4 studies and 8 weeks in 3. The study population consisted of

Results

When the results of the 7 studies were pooled, no significant difference was shown between the placebo and treatment groups for reducing DH pain. There was a trend toward reducing the efficacy of the mouthwashes over time. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between the test and control groups at any time based on tactile or thermal/evaporative stimuli.

With respect to patients' subjective perception of hypersensitivity pain, an evaluation of 4 studies demonstrated

Discussion

Patients' self-reported pain experience indicated a statistically significant reduction in sensitivity scores that favored use of the test mouthwash. The desensitizing agent was reported by patients to be increasing in efficacy over the course of the study, but a tendency to decrease in efficacy was noted by the objective methods that extended for 8 weeks after beginning the trial.

Clinical Significance

This systematic review and meta-analysis found that the home use of desensitizing mouthwashes

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Molina A, García-Gargallo M, Montero E, et al: Clinical efficacy of desensitizing mouthwashes for the control of dentin hypersensitivity and root sensitivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Dent Hygiene 15:84-94, 2017

Reprints available from A Molina, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Complutense, Plaza Ramón y Cajal s/n, CP 28040, Madrid, Spain; fax: +34913941910; e-mail: [email protected]

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