Evaluation of Fluoraphat Pro and VivaSens® In-Office Desensitizing Agents in Controlling Natural Dental Hypersensitivity: A Clinical Study

Abstract

Introduction Dental erosion from acidogenic diets, vigorous tooth brushing, excessive tooth whitening, gingival recession, periodontal debridement, or surgery may induce dentine hypersensitivity (DH). It manifests as a phenomenon observed in structurally intact teeth devoid of pathological or defective conditions. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate DH risk reduction after using Fluoraphat Pro (Neumunster, Germany) and VivaSens ® (Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland) in-office desensitizing agents. Method Twenty-two participants with at least two hypersensitive teeth were randomly selected. Participants were divided into two groups with 22 teeth each, and a desensitizing agent (Fluoraphat Pro and Vivasens) was applied accordingly. Participants were recalled the next day, and a decrease in sensitivity (if any) was evaluated by self-reporting using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Relative Risk (RR) was used to compare the likelihood of sensitivity between two groups and Cohen's d to measure the effect size. A value of p<0.05 was considered significant for all statistical purposes. Result The relative risk (RR) results indicated that Fluoraphat Pro has significantly lower RR than Vivasens for patients with dental sensitivity (RR = 0.350, 95% CI 0.187 - 0.654, z = 3.28, p = 0.001). Fluoraphat Pro was significantly more effective concerning lower sensitivity in teeth located in the upper right (dCohen = 3.217, p = 0.038) and lower right (dCohen = 3.193, p = 0.017) of the mouth than VivaSens®. Conclusion The two commercially available desensitizing agents Fluoraphat Pro and Vivasens tested in this study were effective in controlling DH. Fluoraphat Pro was more efficient in relieving the risk of dental hypersensitivity than VivaSens®. Further research is needed to evaluate the long-term effects of the desensitizing agents and compare DH reduction with other marketed desensitizing products.