Lasers for the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity: a meta-analysis.

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the efficacy of lasers in reducing dentin hypersensitivity (DH) as compared with placebo or no treatment. Seven electronic databases and a manual search resulted in 2,538 unique publications. After selection, 13 studies were included in the meta-analysis. A CONSORT-based quality assessment revealed that 3 and 10 studies were at low and high risk of bias, respectively. A random-effects model with the generic inverse variance standardized mean difference (SMD) was used because of expected heterogeneity. Meta-analyses of the baseline-end of follow-up changes in pain revealed no differences for Er,Cr:YSSG vs. placebo (SMD = 2.49; 95% CI, -0.25 to 5.22; p = .07) but did reveal differences in favor of lasers for Er:YAG vs. placebo (SMD, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.25 to 4.05; p = .0002), Nd:YAG vs. placebo (SMD, 3.59; 95% CI, 0.49 to 6.69; p = .02), and GaAlAs vs. placebo (SMD, 3.40; 95% CI, 1.93 to 4.87; p < .00001). High and significant heterogeneity was found for all comparisons. In conclusion, Er:YAG, Nd:YAG, and GaAlAs lasers appear to be efficacious in reducing DH. However, given the high heterogeneity of the included studies, future randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm these results.

• Authors: F Sgolastra, A Petrucci, M Severino, R Gatto, A Monaco
• Journal: Journal of dental research (J Dent Res) Vol. 92 Issue 6 Pg. 492-9 (Jun 2013) ISSN: 1544-0591 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 23609160 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Review, Systematic Review)

Chemical References

• Placebos

Topics

• Dentin Sensitivity (radiotherapy)
• Humans
• Lasers, Semiconductor (therapeutic use)
• Lasers, Solid-State (therapeutic use)
• Low-Level Light Therapy (methods)
• Pain Measurement
• Placebos
• Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
• Treatment Outcome