Clinical evaluation of the efficacy of a desensitizing paste containing 8% arginine and calcium carbonate for the in-office relief of dentin hypersensitivity associated with dental prophylaxis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the clinical efficacy in reducing dentin hypersensitivity of a professional desensitizing paste containing 8% arginine and calcium carbonate relative to that of a commercially-available pumice prophylaxis paste when applied pre-procedurally to a professional dental cleaning (dental prophylaxis).


METHODS
This was a single-center, parallel group, double-blind, stratified clinical study, conducted in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Adult male and female subjects who presented a tactile hypersensitivity score (Yeaple Probe) between 10 and 50 grams of force and an air blast hypersensitivity score of 2 or 3 (Schiff Cold Air Sensitivity Scale) were stratified according to their baseline hypersensitivity scores and randomly assigned within strata to one of two treatment groups. The two treatment groups were: (1) a Test paste, a desensitizing paste containing 8% arginine and calcium carbonate (Colgate-Palmolive Co.); and (2) a Control paste, Nupro pumice prophylaxis paste (Dentsply Professional). Subjects had their assigned paste applied immediately before receiving a professional dental cleaning procedure. After the completion of the dental cleaning procedure, tactile and air blast dentin hypersensitivity examinations were again performed following the same methodology employed for the baseline hypersensitivity examinations.


RESULTS
45 subjects completed the study. At the final hypersensitivity examinations, conducted immediately after the completion of the dental cleaning procedure, subjects assigned to the test group exhibited statistically significant improvements from baseline with respect to baseline-adjusted mean tactile (132.1%) and air blast hypersensitivity scores (48.6%). Additionally, subjects assigned to the control group exhibited a statistically significant hypersensitivity improvement from baseline with respect to baseline-adjusted mean air blast hypersensitivity scores (13.9%). The hypersensitivity improvement from baseline indicated for the control group for mean tactile hypersensitivity scores (21.7%) was not statistically significant. At the final hypersensitivity examinations, statistically significant differences were indicated between the test group and the control group with respect to baseline-adjusted mean tactile (110.0%) and air blast hypersensitivity scores (41.9%).
Hamlin
David
D
Contract Dental Evaluation, Langhorne, Pennsylvania, USA.
Williams
Kathleen Phelan
KP
Delgado
Evaristo
E
Zhang
Yun Po
YP
DeVizio
William
W
Mateo
Luis R
LR
D000149:Acidulated Phosphate Fluoride; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000388:Air; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D045424:Complex Mixtures / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003777:Dental Prophylaxis; D003802:Dentifrices / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003807:Dentin Sensitivity / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014100:Toothpastes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014110:Touch; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D045424:Complex Mixtures; D003802:Dentifrices; D004338:Drug Combinations; D014100:Toothpastes; C074808:NuPro; D000149:Acidulated Phosphate Fluoride; D001120:Arginine; D002119:Calcium Carbonate