In Vitro Comparison of Three Desensitizing Prophylaxis Pastes: AMorphological Analysis

Background and Objective: Dentine hypersensitivity (DH) characterizes for short sharp pain arising from exposed dentine. Nowadays, there is a vast choice of products to overcome it. The aim of the present observational study was to compare the efficacy of three prophylaxis pastes in occluding dentinal tubules from in an in vitro setting. Methods: Longitudinal mesio-distal sections were obtained from a sample of ten extracted teeth. Morphological analysis with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) assessed the penetration of three different prophylaxis pastes in dentinal tubules: Nupro by GSK, Stomyprox by Biorepair, Colgate Pro-Sollievo. The use of the Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX probe) allowed assessing the exact composition of each product. Results: The SEM analysis revealed that only Stomyprox by Biorepair could penetrate the dentinal tubule due to its low crystallinity. Its small sized particles (˜1.60 μ) fit better the tubules lumen if compared to the other two pastes with higher sized granules. The small sample size and the lacking of a quantitative evaluation of tubules filling limit this result. Conclusion: The occlusion of dentinal tubules is one of the possible ways to reduce dentine hypersensitivity in a professional setting. Small sized particles fit better the lumen of tubules. In conclusion, there is a biological rationale in preferring prophylaxis pastes characterized by a low crystallinity. It is worthy to investigate furthermore, and in a clinical setting, the efficacy of the prophylaxis paste made by small sized particles of Hydroxyapatite.