Comparison of Lasers and Desensitizing Agents in Dentinal Hypersensitivity Therapy

Abstract

The main objective of this review is to verify the validity of laser therapy in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity, an extremely common problem in patients, with Nd: YAG lasers or high- and/or low-power diode lasers to obtain a definitive protocol for the treatment of hypersensitivity, given the multiplicity of laser treatments proposed by the numerous authors evaluated. The authors performed an electronic search on PubMed, favouring it as a search engine. Lasers represent a means of treating dentin hypersensitivity, used alone and/or in conjunction with specific products for the treatment of such a pathology. The selected articles that examined diode lasers were divided according to the wattage (w) used: low-level laser therapy protocols, i.e., those using a wattage of less than 1 W, and high-level laser therapy protocols, i.e., those using a wattage of 1 W or more. Regarding the Nd: YAG laser, it was not necessary to subdivide the studies in this way, as they used a wattage of 1 W or more. A total of 21 articles were included in the final selection. Laser therapy was found to be effective in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity. However, the level of effectiveness depends on the laser used. The results obtained from this review show that both the Nd: YAG laser and the diode laser (high and low power) are effective in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity. However, the high-power laser appears to be more effective in combination with fluoride varnish and the Nd: YAG laser achieved greater long-term benefits than the diode laser.