The key to dentin hypersensitivity may be in your kitchen

Gallic acid (GA), an antioxidant found in many plants like grapes and apples, as well as red wine and green tea, along with sodium fluoride (NaF) may aid in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity (DH). The study was published recently in BMC Oral Health.

The combination of GA and NaF not only aided in reducing dental permeability, which is related to hypersensitivity, but it worked better than NaF on its own, the authors wrote.

"GA + NaF may be a new option for treating DH," wrote the authors, led by Yao Shi, of Zibo Central Hospital in China (BMC Oral Health, October 30, 2024. Vol. 24,1319).

Dentin hypersensitivity, which is linked to severe pain and a low cure rate, occurs when teeth are subjected to thermal, mechanical, chemical, or osmotic stimulation. Though the pathogenesis of DH remains unclear, it is believed to be related to dentinal tubules and high levels of dentin permeability. Blocking dentinal tubules to reduce fluid flow may be the likely way to treat dental hypersensitivity, according to the study.

To explore the effects of NaF and GA on hypersensitivity, 90 dentin discs from human third molars were treated with 6% citric acid for two minutes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was then used to view the surface morphologies of 10 dentin discs.

The remaining samples were divided into the NaF group, which was treated with 1,000 ppm NaF; the GA group, which was treated with 4,000 ppm GA; the GA plus NaF group, which was treated with 1,000 ppm NaF plus 4,000 ppm GA; and the blank group, which was treated with deionized water. Dentin permeability for each was measured with a water-filled system before processing and after seven days of treatment and observed by SEM, the authors wrote.

NaF and GA and NaF together significantly decreased dentin permeability. However, combining GA and NaF reduced dentin permeability more, the authors wrote. Furthermore, more mineral deposits on the dentin surface and dentin tubules were seen in the GA and NaF group, they wrote.

A limitation of the study was that SEM only was used to view dentin surfaces and detect the changes in sample permeability. However, relevant research wasn't completed on the composition of the sediment or the mechanism underlying its formation, the authors wrote. In the future, relevant experiments should be conducted to provide a strategy for the treatment of dentin sensitivity, they wrote.

"Therefore, we believe that the combined application of GA and fluorine has better effects in modulating dentin sensitivity, and this is expected to be a new choice for the treatment of dentin sensitivity," Shi et al wrote.