ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: Dentinal hypersensitivity is a relatively common problem experienced in clinical dental practice and is characterized by short, sharp pain in response to stimuli such as tactile, thermal, evaporative, osmotic, or chemical. Several agents and treatment modalities have been used in the treatment of this condition. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of four commercially available toothpastes in the reduction of dentinal hypersensitivity (DH), based on the hypothesis that calcium sodium phosphosilicate (CSPS) group had a better efficacy of the four. Settings and Design: This study design was a prospective, single-blind, randomized, parallel clinical design. Subjects and Methods: A total of 160 cases (93 males and 67 females; aged 20-60 years) were randomly divided into four groups: Group 1 - toothpaste containing 5% potassium nitrate; Group 2 - toothpaste containing 5% CSPS (NovaMin); Group 3 - toothpaste containing 10% strontium chloride; and Group 4 - a herbal formulation. The patients' DH scores for tactile, thermal, and evaporative stimuli were recorded on a visual analog scale at baseline, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 2 months. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analyzed with Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Mann-Whitney U-test (P < 0.05). Results: The four desensitizing kinds of toothpaste containing different active agents were effective in relieving dentinal hypersensitivity. However, CSPS group showed a better clinical response at the end of 2 months. Conclusions: The CSPS group showed a better reduction in the symptoms of DH.