Effectiveness of two desensitizing products: A 6-month randomized clinical, split-mouth study.

PURPOSE: This randomized controlled clinical trial compared the efficacy of a desensitizer containing calcium phosphate with a two-step self-etch adhesive and placebo over a 6-month period. METHODS: 50 subjects aged between 21-64 years with a sensitivity score of 6 or higher according to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) in at least three teeth participated in this study. Teethmate Desensitizer, Clearfil SE Bond 2, and placebo (distilled water) were applied randomly to three teeth of each patient. Recall reviews were performed at baseline, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment, and the sensitivity scores were assessed by air-blast application. The normality of data was analyzed with Shapiro-Wilk. Since the placebo treatment was successful only in a small number of teeth, the three materials could only be compared 10 minutes after the treatment. Data were analyzed with Wilcoxon Test, Friedman and Dunn post-hoc tests (P= 0.05). RESULTS: Sensitivity decreased significantly after application for each of the three test groups when compared to the pretreatment condition (P< 0.05). There were no significant differences between the Teethmate Desensitizer and Clearfil SE Bond 2, and both materials were more effective than the placebo (P< 0.05). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Teethmate Desensitizer and Clearfil SE Bond 2 had similar desensitizing effects; both of them could be applied to treat dentin hypersensitivity for a 6-month period.