Dentine hypersensitivity is a common clinical condition, affecting between 4% and 69% of the adult population. Management strategies are based on occluding patent dentinal tubules to reduce dentinal fluid movement. This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the effect of nano eggshell and fluoride varnish, alone and combined with diode laser, on dentinal tubule occlusion using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Forty sound human maxillary premolars were sectioned to expose mid-coronal dentine and etched with 37% phosphoric acid to simulate hypersensitive dentine. Samples were randomly allocated into five groups (n = 8): Group 1 (nano eggshell), Group 2 (fluoride varnish), Group 3 (nano eggshell + diode laser), Group 4 (fluoride varnish + diode laser), and Group 5 (control). Nano eggshell and fluoride varnish were applied daily for seven consecutive days. Groups 3 and 4 received 940 nm diode laser irradiation after completing the 7-day treatment protocol. Group 5 received no treatment. All samples were analyzed using SEM and EDX to assess dentinal tubule occlusion and calcium to phosphorus (Ca/P) ratio. Data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test with significance set at P ≤ 0.05. All treatment groups exhibited significantly lower percentages of patent dentinal tubules and higher Ca/P ratios than the control (P < 0.0001). Group 3 (nano eggshell + laser) exhibited the lowest percentage of patent tubules (0.65 ± 0.14%), followed by Group 1 (nano eggshell, 2.33 ± 0.21%), Group 4 (fluoride + laser, 3.84 ± 0.67%), Group 2 (fluoride, 6.73 ± 0.55%), while Group 5 (control) showed the highest percentage (12.95 ± 1.39%). The Ca/P ratio was highest in Group 3 (1.755 ± 0.1226), followed by Groups 1, 4, and 2, respectively, with the control group showing the lowest ratio (0.603 ± 0.09096). All tested treatments significantly reduced the percentage of patent dentinal tubules and increased Ca/P ratios compared to the control group. The combination of nano eggshell with diode laser demonstrated the highest efficacy. Nano eggshell-based treatments outperformed fluoride varnish, presenting a promising, biocompatible, and cost-effective approach for dentine hypersensitivity management.
Sayed et al. (Fri,) studied this question.