CLINICAL EVALUATION OF DENTIN HYPERSENSITIVITY TREATMENT WITH THE LOW INTENSITY GALLIUM- ALUMINUM-ARSENIDE LASER – AsGaAl AVALIAÇÃO CLÍNICA DO TRATAMENTO DA HIPERESTESIA DENTINÁRIA COM LASER DE BAIXA POTÊNCIA DE ARSENIATO DE GÁLIO-ALUMÍNIO – AsGaAl

he dentin hypersensitivity is a painful condition rather prevalent in the general population. There are several ways of treatment for such condition, including the low intensity lasers. The proposal of this study was to verify the effectiveness of the Gallium-Aluminum-Arsenide diode laser in the treatment of this painful condition, using a placebo as control.Materials and methods: Thirty-two patients were selected, 22 females and 10 males, with ages ranging from 20 to 52 years old. The 32 patients were randomly distributed into two groups, treated and control; the sample consisted of 68 teeth, 35 in the treated group and 33 in the control group. The treated group was exposed to six laser applications with intervals from 48 to 72 hours, and the control group received, as placebo, applications of a curing light. Results: A significant reduction was observed in the pain condition between the initial phase and after six laser applications; however, such reduction could also be observed for the control group exposed to the placebo. Conclusion: Therapy with the low intensity Gallium-Aluminum-Arsenide laser – AsGaAl induces a statistically significant reduction in the painful condition after each application and between the beginning and end of treatment, although there was no statistically significant difference between the treated group (laser) and the control group (placebo) at the end of treatment and after the mediate evaluation results (after 6 weeks), this way impairing the real measurement of laser effectiveness and placebo effect. Uniterms: Dentinal hypersensitivity; Tooth, hyperesthesia; Laser treatment.