Awareness of Dentine Hypersensitivity among General Dental Practitioners in Mumbai, India.

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the perception of dentists in general dental practice on the diagnosis and management of dentine hypersensitivity (DH) as perceived by a randomly selected sample of private dental practitioners in Mumbai. Methods: 500 dentists (Mean age 38-35 years [S.D = 11.3], 114 M: 92 F were randomly selected using the Indian Dental Association membership list and invited to participate in a questionnaire-based survey. Results: 206 private practitioners (GDPs) were included in the final analysis of the data. Most of these respondents [90.2%]) indicated that half of their patients reported problems with DH;78.2% respondents reported that the patients to usually initiated the conversation on DH; and 83.4% indicated that up to 25% of their patients considered DH as a serious problem. A greater part of the respondents (62.2%) reported that the pain due to DH lasted ≤4 weeks. There was an overall awareness regarding the current mechanisms underlying DH, with the majority of dentists (≥66%) reporting inadequate brushing of the teeth as an initiating cause and approximately 50% suggesting periodontal causes amongst the other recorded reasons. The most common management strategy employed by dentists was to prescribe desensitizing agents for home use. Conclusion: The conclusions from the present study were in agreement with the results from previous studies and generally consistent with the current scientific consensus on the management of DH by GDPs.