Effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate solution on dentinal hypersensitivity: A randomized controlled trial

Sanjana Girish Patil; Arun Suresh Dodamani; Prashanth Yachrappa Vishwakarma; Anagha Agrawal; Vrushali Ramdas Khobragade; Shantanu Satish Deshmukh

doi:10.4103/ijmo.ijmo_5_20

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Year : 2020 | Volume : 5 | Issue : 2 | Page : 7-8

Effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate solution on dentinal hypersensitivity: A randomized controlled trial

Sanjana Girish Patil¹, Arun Suresh Dodamani¹, Prashanth Yachrappa Vishwakarma¹, Anagha Agrawal¹, Vrushali Ramdas Khobragade², Shantanu Satish Deshmukh³
¹ Department of Public Health Dentistry, A.C.P.M. Dental College, Dhule, Maharashtra, India
² Department of Public Health Dentistry, V.Y.W.S. Dental College, Amravati, Maharashtra, India
³ Department of Orthopedics, N.K.P. Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

Date of Submission	14-Oct-2020
Date of Acceptance	17-Nov-2020
Date of Web Publication	29-Jan-2021

Correspondence Address:
Dr. Arun Suresh Dodamani
Professor and HOD, Department of Public Health Dentistry, A. C. P. M. Dental College, Dhule, Maharashtra
India

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None

DOI: 10.4103/ijmo.ijmo_5_20

Abstract

Introduction: Dentinal hypersensitivity has been defined as a short, sharp pain arising from exposed dentine as a result of various stimuli such as heat, cold, chemical, or osmotic, that cannot be ascribed to any other pathology. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted among thirty individuals with mild-to-moderate dentinal hypersensitivity. Each participant in the study group was asked to rinse the mouth twice a day by sodium bicarbonate (SB) solution for 14 days and each participant in the control group was asked to rinse the mouth with Listerine sensitivity mouth rinse for 14 days. Dentinal hypersensitivity was evaluated by air blasting method and measured by Visual Analog Scale. Results: On comparison between the study and control groups, the hypersensitivity was comparatively more reduced in the control group by the 7^th day, but by the 14^th day, there was comparatively more reduction of hypersensitivity in the study group. Conclusion: The present study concludes that SB mouth rinse is effective in decreasing dentinal hypersensitivity.

Keywords: Dentinal hypersensitivity, sodium bicarbonate, Visual Analog Scale

How to cite this article:
Patil SG, Dodamani AS, Vishwakarma PY, Agrawal A, Khobragade VR, Deshmukh SS. Effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate solution on dentinal hypersensitivity: A randomized controlled trial. Int J Med Oral Res 2020;5:7-8

How to cite this URL:
Patil SG, Dodamani AS, Vishwakarma PY, Agrawal A, Khobragade VR, Deshmukh SS. Effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate solution on dentinal hypersensitivity: A randomized controlled trial. Int J Med Oral Res [serial online] 2020 [cited 2021 Feb 25];5:7-8. Available from: http://www.ijmorweb.com/text.asp?2020/5/2/7/308277

Introduction

Dentinal hypersensitivity is a relatively common dental clinical condition in permanent teeth caused by exposure to the oral environment as a consequence of loss of enamel and/or cementum.^[1] The prevalence of dentinal hypersensitivity has been reported over the years in a variety of ways: as >40 million people in the USA annually, 14.3% of all dental patients, between 8% and 57% of adult dentate population, and up to 30% of adults at some time during their lifetime.^[2] Studies by Keyes et al. found that baking soda has bactericidal activity as evidenced by the absence or significant reduction in select periodontal micro flora, disruption of bacterial cell wall and cell membrane integrity, and moderate reduction (12%–30%) in vital bacterial cell count.^[3],[4],[5] Aside from the considerable attention paid to the abrasivity of toothpastes (Davis, 1978), there has been little interest in the possible detrimental chemical effects of oral hygiene products. Thus, both toothpastes and mouthwashes contain substances which could erode the dentine. Interestingly, the acidic nature of a number of mouthwashes has been reported.^[6] Taking hypersensitivity into consideration with respect to cost-effectiveness, this study is designed to study the effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate (SB) solution on dentinal hypersensitivity.

Materials and Methods

Each participant in the study group was asked to rinse the mouth thrice a day by SB solution for 14 days and each participant in the control group was asked to rinse the mouth with Listerine sensitivity mouth rinse for 14 days. Dentinal hypersensitivity was evaluated by air blasting method and measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Data were collected at baseline, on the 7^th day, and on the 14^th day. The collected data were then statistically analyzed. The present randomized controlled trial, in vivo study was conducted on a total of thirty participants, aged between 35 and 44 years, with mild-to-moderate dentinal hypersensitivity from the Outpatient Department of Public Health Dentistry, for 14 days. The mean VAS scores were compared among groups at different time points (baseline, at 7^th day, and at 14^th day) and among groups by using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Post hoc Bonferroni test was done for pair-wise comparisons; P < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant when detected. Data were statistically analyzed using a software program (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 20 software (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA).

Results

The intergroup comparison was done among the study group and the control group [Figure 1] using independent t-test. The difference in dentinal hypersensitivity between Group A and Group B was 0.00 at baseline (P = 1.00); on the 7^th day, tit was 0.133 (P = 0.706); and on the 14^th day, it was −0.333 (P = 0.318). Overall, the comparison of dentinal hypersensitivity among Group A and Group B was not statistically significant.

Figure 1: Comparison of dentinal hypersensitivity between the study group and control group

Click here to view

Discussion

Dentinal hypersensitivity is a challenging condition for patients to explain and for dentists to precisely diagnose.^[7],[8] The present study showed a decreasing level of hypersensitivity within the study and control groups on intragroup comparison. A study conducted by Chandel et al.^[9] on the effect of SB oral rinse on salivary pH and oral microflora concluded that SB mouth rinse is effective in increasing salivary pH above the threshold level needed for preventing enamel demineralization and enhancing remineralization.^[9] In normal conditions, acids produced by acidogenic bacteria, for example, Streptococcus mutans, are buffered by salivary bicarbonate ions, organic acids, peptides, and proteins. It is only when the acid produced by acidogenic bacteria increases beyond the buffering capacity of saliva, the dissolution of enamel and dentin takes place, initiating the carious process. Based on this property, an experiment was conducted by Shellis and Dibdin where it was shown that SB incorporated in mouth rinses can increase the buffering capacity of saliva and can buffer acids produced in the plaque effectively, resulting in a reduction of acidic environment.^[10]

Conclusion

This positive finding concluded from our study definitely indicates that SB rinse which is low in cost, bland in taste, and associated with no side effect can be used as an adjunct to oral hygiene measures for long periods with more patient comfort during the maintenance phase.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

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