Clinical Efficacy of Mouthwashes with Potassium Salts in the Treatment of Dentinal Hypersensitivity: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

AIM: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated whether the home use of mouthwashes containing potassium salts is effective in reducing and controlling dentin hypersensitivity (DH). METHODS AND MATERIALS: This study is reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) checklist and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021228410). Randomized clinical trials evaluating the use of mouthwashes containing potassium salt for daily household mouthwash for at least four weeks to reduce DH compared with a control mouthwash were selected, with no limitation on year of publication. Electronic research was carried out in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library by two independent researchers. One hundred thirty-three articles were obtained, and nine were selected according to the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The selected studies evaluated DH through tests of sensitivity to tactile and evaporative stimuli and showed that, for the tactile stimulus, there were no baseline differences between groups (p=0.12; mean difference: -0.33; confidence intervals [CI]: -0.73 to 0.08). However, there were significant differences after two weeks of use (p=0.00001; mean difference: 4.67; CI: 4.53 to 4.81), after four weeks (p=0.00001; mean difference: 13.29; CI: 13.03 to 13.55), and after eight weeks (p=0.00001; mean difference: 8.88; CI: 5.73 to 12.02) favoring the experimental group. The results of the evaporative test showed no differences in the baseline assessment between the two groups (p=0.50; mean difference: -0.02; CI: -0.09 to 0.04), but after four weeks (p=0.00001; mean difference: -0.32; CI: -0.44 to -0.20), and eight weeks of use (p=0.00001; mean difference: -0.42; CI: -0.57 to -0.27) there were differences favoring the experimental group. The incidence of side effects showed no differences between the two groups (p=0.89; mean difference: 1.03; CI: 0.67 to 1.58). CONCLUSION: The daily use of mouthwashes containing potassium salt is effective in the treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity, as a complementary step to brushing at least twice a day for two weeks, four weeks, and up to eight weeks, without presenting side effects.

Effect of Preoperative Use of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs on Dental Sensitivity Induced by Dental Bleaching in the Dental Office: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

AIM: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effect of using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) before dental bleaching sessions in the dental office on postoperative sensitivity. METHODS: The review is reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses checklist and registered on International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews under number CRD42020210054. Randomized clinical trials published in the English language that compared the preventive use of NSAIDs with a placebo on the sensitivity resulting from dental bleaching in the dental office were selected, with no limitation on the year of publication. The electronic searches took place in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library and were carried out independently by two researchers. A total of 30 articles were obtained; seven were selected according to the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in the reduction of dental sensitivity between the experimental group compared to the placebo during the session (p=0.32; mean difference [MD]=-0.30; 95% CI, -0.88 to 0.29), immediately after the session (p=0.22; MD=-0.29; 95% CI, -0.75 to 0.17), up to 1 hour later (p=0.10; MD=-0.94; 95% CI, -2.06 to 0.18), and between 1 and 24 hours after the procedure (p=0.78; MD=-0.11; 95% CI, -0.90 to 0.68). The incidence of sensitivity between the groups also did not show statistically relevant differences (p=0.60; MD=1.15; 95% CI, 0.69-1.92). Furthermore, none of the studies reported side effects in any patient. CONCLUSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis indicates that the use of NSAIDs before dental office bleaching is not effective in reducing dental sensitivity during or up to 24 hours after the procedure. In addition, there was no difference in the incidence of sensitivity between the experimental and placebo groups.