Prevalence of dentine hypersensitivity among adult patients attending a dental hospital clinic in Turkey / Prevalencia de la hipersensibilidad dentinaria entre los pacientes adultos que asisten a la clínica del hospital dental en Turquía

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of dentine hypersensitivity (DH) and to examine some associated factors such as the initiating stimuli among adult patients attending the Restorative Clinic of the Kirikkale University Dental Faculty, Turkey. METHODS: Questionnaires for 1169 patients, 678 men and 491 women, were completed and necessary clinical examinations performed during a one-year period and patients who were diagnosed with DH were questioned further about their occupation and smoking habits. Patients with at least two different quadrants which had sensitive teeth with sound exposed cervical dentine on the facial surface, were included in the study. The amount ofcervical lesions, buccal gingival recession and initiating factors associated with the sensitive teeth were also recorded. RESULTS: Of the 1169 patients examined, 89 were diagnosed as having dentine hypersensitivity, giving a prevalence of 7.6%. The commonest teeth affected were the upper premolars and the commonest initiating factor was cold drinks. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dentine hypersensitivity in a postgraduate clinic in Turkey was 7.6%. The commonest teeth affected were the upper premolar and the commonest initiating factor was cold drinks.

OBJETIVOS: El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la prevalencia de la hipersensibilidad dentinaria (HD) y examinar algunos factores asociados con ella, tales como los estímulos iniciadores entre los pacientes adultos que asisten a la Clínica Restaurativa la Facultad Dental Universitaria de Kirikkale, Turquía. MÉTODOS: Cuestionarios entregados a 1169 pacientes, 678 hombres y 491 mujeres, fueron respondidos, y se realizaron los exámenes clínicos necesarios por espacio de un ano. Los pacientes que fueron diagnosticados con HD, fueron interrogados ulteriormente acerca de su ocupación y el hábito defumar. Los pacientes con al menos dos cuadrantes diferentes, que tenían dientes sensibles con exposición de dentina cervical sana sobre la superficie facial, fueron incluidos en este estudio. También se registró la cantidad de lesiones cervicales, la recesión gingival bucal y los factores iniciadores asociados con la sensibilidad de los dientes. RESULTADOS: De los 1169 pacientes examinados, 89 se diagnosticaron con hipersensibilidad de la dentina, para una cifra de prevalencia de 7.6%. Los dientes más comúnmente afectados fueron los premolares superiores y los factores iniciadores más comunes fueron las bebidas frías. CONCLUSIONES: La prevalencia de la hipersensibilidad dentinaria en una clínica postgraduada en Turquía fue de 7.6%. Los dientes más comúnmente afectados fueron los premolares superiores y el facgor iniciador más común fueron las bebidas frías.

Evaluation of the effect of locally administered amitriptyline gel as adjunct to local anesthetics in irreversible pulpitis pain.

BACKGROUND: Amitriptyline is one of the most common tricyclic antidepressants, which binds to pain sensory nerve fibers close to the sodium channel; hence, it could interact to some degree with receptors of local anesthetics. This study was designed to assess the additional analgesic effects of 2% Amitriptyline local gel administration in irreversible pulpitis pain of the molars. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a randomized, double-blind clinical trial that was performed on 56 consented adult patients who did not receive enough analgesia after a lidocaine nerve block for their tooth pulpitis pain. Patients were treated with 0.2 ml of either 2% amitriptyline or placebo, which was directly injected into their mandibular molar pulp chamber after they had received two routine lidocaine injections. Patients were asked to score their pain as a mark on a 10-cm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at different timepoints: 0 (just before gel administration), 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 minutes after the treatments. RESULTS: There was a 92.5% decrease in VAS scores of patients 9 minutes after amitriptyline administration compared to Time 0, while in the placebo group this difference was only 13.5%. Further, in the amitriptyline group, the VAS score at all timepoints was statistically different from Time 0 (P < 0.01). The overall pain reduction and its trend was significantly higher in the amitriptyline group compared with the placebo group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Inter-pulp space administration of amitriptyline 2% gel for completing analgesia in irreversible pulpitis pain could be effective and useful as a conjunctive therapy to injections of local anesthetics.