Metals, fluoride and bioactive glass on dentin hypersensitivity and quality of life: A 6-month double-blind randomized clinical trial.

Summary

In this double-blind RCT (51 patients; 241 teeth), all products reduced dentin hypersensitivity over 6 months, with both toothpastes outperforming sodium fluoride varnish at 3 months and Elmex Opti-namel maintaining superiority at 6 months for evaporative pain. Oral health-related quality of life improved modestly across groups.

Key Findings

• All tested products significantly reduced dentin hypersensitivity over 6 months (p < 0.001).
• For evaporative stimulus, both toothpastes outperformed NaF varnish at 3 months; Elmex Opti-namel remained superior at 6 months (p = 0.048).
• For tactile stimulus, Biomin F was less effective than NaF varnish immediately after application (p = 0.028), with no later between-group differences.
• Oral health-related quality of life improved in all groups, with overall improvement rated as low.

Clinical Implications

For sustained DH relief, clinicians may preferentially recommend bioactive glass or polyvalent metal-containing toothpastes over sodium fluoride varnish, while setting expectations for modest OHRQoL gains.

Limitations

• Modest sample size from a single trial and short (6-month) follow-up
• Product-specific comparisons may limit generalizability across formulations

Future Directions

Longer-term, multicenter RCTs comparing broader desensitizing technologies and dosing regimens with health-economic endpoints are warranted.