A 3-day randomised clinical study investigating the efficacy of two toothpastes, designed to occlude dentine tubules, for the treatment of dentine hypersensitivity

Objectives: A product comparison study to compare the short term clinical efficacy of a strontium acetate/silica toothpaste with an arginine/calcium carbonate paste for pain reduction in dentine hypersensitivity.

Methods: The study was examiner blind of two arm parallel design. Eighty healthy adult subjects from general dental practice with >= 2 sensitive teeth but otherwise good oral health, were enrolled and randomised to 1 of 2 toothpaste treatments, schedule provided by the sponsor. Almost equal numbers received each treatment. Tooth sensitivity was measured in three ways; evaporative (Schiff score; Visual Analogue Scale) and tactile stimuli (Yeaple probe), prior to and immediately after subjects' self application of a single pea sized dose of toothpaste, and following subsequent twice daily brushing for three days with the paste.

Results: All 80 subjects completed the study. Results confirm that for both treatments, pain was reduced immediately and relief was sustained after 3 days use. For all 3 measures, benefit was similar between the two pastes, with no statistical or clinical difference demonstrated, apart from response to evaporative stimulus at 3 days, where Schiff scores were significantly lower in the arginine group, p = 0.02.

Conclusions: It can be concluded that both desensitising, occluding toothpastes provided reduction of pain from dentine hypersensitivity on a short term basis: toothpastes appearing to be clinically similarly effective both after a single subject dab on application and post twice daily brushing for three days. National Research Ethics Service register number 09/H020/57. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.