introduction
Sensitive tooth necks are particularly common in patients who have had periodontitis. With this disease in particular, there is loss of gums and, as a result, exposed tooth necks. Exposed tooth necks, i.e. bare dentin, are fundamentally important for teeth that are sensitive to pain. In this way, any external stimulus can be passed on directly to the tooth nerve via the dentinal tubules. Epidemiological data on sensitive teeth indicate a prevalence of up to 98%. There are now a large number of dental care products that are said to be effective against pain-sensitive teeth. Clinical studies and laboratory tests show effective pain relief, especially when using toothpastes containing hydroxylapatite.
Question
How effective is a hydroxylapatite toothpaste compared to other dental care products available on the market?
material and methods
This clinical and double-blind, randomized and parallel in situ study was carried out at the Dental Clinic in San Antonio / Texas (USA). A total of 80 subjects took part in the study. 4 dentine samples were used for each subject. The subjects were randomly divided into 4 groups, each of which used the respective test toothpaste twice a day over a period of 14 days. The toothpastes used were two different toothpastes containing hydroxylapatite (10% HAP and 15% HAP), a toothpaste containing sodium monofluorophosphate and a toothpaste containing amorphous calcium phosphate. The dentin samples were taken after 7 and 14 days and viewed microscopically.
Results
The two toothpastes containing hydroxylapatite showed an occlusion of the dentinal tubules. A layer of hydroxyapatite was also seen on the tooth enamel. Amorphous calcium phosphate was also able to occlude dentinal tubules, but to a lesser extent than hydroxyapatite. Sodium monofluorophosphate showed the slightest obstruction of the tubules, which, however, can be explained by the cleaning material rather than by fluoride.
Tooth surface with exposed dentinal tubules before (left) and after (right) treatment with hydroxyapatite.
conclusion
Hydroxyapatite leads to a large and deep closure of the dentinal tubules and can therefore prevent pain-sensitive teeth.