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Abstract

tive, tactile, osmotic or chemical, and that cannot be ascribed to any other form of dental defect or pathology" [1]. Dentine hypersensitivity is a significant burden for patients and practitioners. Knowing its prevalence and methods for accurate diagnosis is imperative to guide treatment decisions and develop new treatments. A wide range of estimates of prevalence of dentine hypersensitivity was observed in 56 studies, from as low as 1.8% to as high as 84%, and this heterogeneity could not be completely explained by study characteristics. The meta-analysis revealed that the average prevalence of all studies was 33% and the best estimate was approximately 10% [2,3]. One of the most frequent patient complaints is related to cold stimuli, although pain may also occur when consuming acidic foods (mainly fruit), sweets and salty foods. Tactile stimulus provocation frequently occurs when patients brush their teeth or rub the sensitive area with a finger nail [4]. DH may disturb patients during eating, drinking and brushing. The prevalence of DH has been reported to be in the range of 8 to 57. Hypersensitivity may occur wherever the dentin is exposed by attrition or abrasion, or the root surface is exposed by periodontal disease. In regard to the pain pathogenic mechanism, several theories have been proposed. Nowadays, the most accepted one is Brannstrom's hydrodynamic theory [5]. According to this theory, DH is caused by shifts in the fluid located inside the open dentin tubules. This