Treating dentin hypersensitivity: therapeutic choices made by dentists of the northwest PRECEDENT network.
BACKGROUND Methods used by dental practitioners to diagnose and treat dentin hypersensitivity are not well documented . The authors conducted a survey of dentists in the Northwest Practice -based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence -based DENTistry ( PRECEDENT ) to ascertain the treatment methods they used . Methods . Via an Internet survey , the authors collected data regarding methods used for diagnosis and treatment of dentin hypersensitivity from 209 Northwest PRECEDENT dentists . RESULTS The PRECEDENT dentists indicated that they most often used fluoride varnishes and gels , advice regarding toothbrushing and diet , bonding agents , restorative material s and glutaraldehyde/2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate ( HEMA ) to treat dentin hypersensitivity . They reported that the most successful treatments were fluorides , glutaraldehyde/HEMA , bonding agents , potassium nitrates and restorative treatments ; they considered observation , advice regarding toothbrushing and diet and laser therapy to be the least successful . Dentists listed fluorides , calcium phosphates , glutaraldehyde/HEMA and bonding agents as the treatments most desirable for inclusion in a future r and omized clinical trial of dental hypersensitivity treatments . CONCLUSIONS Dentists rely on patients to assess the severity of dentin hypersensitivity . Modalities for the diagnosis and treatment of hypersensitivity are diverse . Methods used to diagnose and treat dentin hypersensitivity in practice are challenging to justify . CLINICAL IMPLICATION S Practitioners should be aware of the diversity of methods available for diagnosing and treating dentin hypersensitivity as they manage the care of their patients with this condition
Experimental  methacrylate-based adhesives , either when incorporating calcium/sodium phosphate-phyllosilicates or calcium silicate cements , demonstrated to promote therapeutic/protective effects on the micro-mechanical and ultramorphological properties of resin bonded-dentine interfaces associated with mineral deposition over time .
The origin of ion-releasing dentine bonding agents lies in a change in attitude regarding the qualities dem and ed of a restorative dental material .