Comparative Evaluation of Effectiveness of Three Desensitizing Tooth Pastes for Relief in the Dentinal Hypersensitivity

CONTEXT Dentinal hypersensitivity is a sharp pain occurring on exposure of the exposed dentin to various stimuli such as hot, cold, air, tactile, and chemical. AIM This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of three desensitizing pastes in the treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 45 individuals (with two teeth per patient) were considered for this study and randomly divided into three groups, Group 1: treated with 5% NovaMin-containing toothpaste, Group 2: treated with 8% arginine-containing toothpaste, and Group 3: herbal desensitizing toothpaste. Using tactile stimulus and air stimulus, the sensitivity scores were recorded on visual analog scale (VAS), immediately after paste application, then at 2 weeks, and then at the end of 4 weeks and compared. RESULTS There was a significant change in the VAS scores in Group 1 when compared to Group 2 and Group 3. Group 1 showed better reduction in the hypersensitivity in long term. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS One-way ANOVA test, post hoc Tukey test, and post hoc Bonferroni test were used for statistical analysis. CONCLUSION Desensitizing pastes can be an effective and economical option in the treatment of the dentinal hypersensitivity.