Comparison of low level laser and arginine-calcium carbonate alone or combination in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity: a randomized split-mouth clinical study.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to compare the efficacy of low-level laser (LLL) and desensitizing paste (DP) containing 8% arginine-calcium carbonate, in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity (DH) and also to determine whether their combined application would improve the efficacy of the treatment. BACKGROUND DATA There are various options for the treatment of DH; however, superiority of one method over others alone has not been currently demonstrated. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-one patients with 156 teeth affected by DH were included in the study. Selected teeth were randomly divided into five groups: LLL, DP, laser followed by DP (LLL+DP), DP followed by laser (DP+LLL) applied to one of the quadrants, and a control group, consisting of a randomly selected additional tooth in one of the quadrants. Teeth were irradiated by the 685 nm diode laser treatment with 25 mW at 9 Hz for 100sec at 1 cm(2) area (2J/cm(2)) in interrupted mode. Pain response to evaporative stimulus was quantified on a visual analogue scale (VAS) over a 90-day period. RESULTS All four treatment groups experienced significant and persistent decrease in the mean VAS score immediately post-treatment until the end of the study, whereas the placebo group had high VAS scores throughout the study. On day 90, percent reduction in VAS scores was 72% for LLL, 65.4% for DP, 54.6% for LLL+DP, and 69.6% for DP+LLL, whereas the placebo group showed an increase of 7.8%. CONCLUSIONS The application of either LLL or DP containing 8% arginine-calcium carbonate appears to be effective in decreasing DH. However, their combined use does not improve the efficacy beyond what is attainable with either treatment alone.