Review of Selected Over-the-Counter Toothpastes in the Management of Dentine Hypersensitivity

Desensitising products designed for use in the treatment of Dentine Hypersensitivity (DH) are available either through in-office procedures (professional products) or direct to the consumer (over the counter products [OTC]).This paper is an overview on selected OTC products available to the consumer and compares the reported effectiveness of the different active ingredients present in these products.Information was collected from several sources including direct observation of the toothpastes available in a UK supermarket and from online retailers (such as Amazon etc.,) as well as reviewing the published evidence from randomised control trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses as well as clinical studies.A comparison of the claims of effectiveness in reducing Dentine Hypersensitivity by toothpaste manufacturers on the toothpaste cartons (e.g., packaging and labelling) was compared with the results from these peer reviewed publications.Evidence from these publications would suggest that products containing potassium, stannous fluoride, calcium sodium phosphor-silicate, arginine, nano-hydroxyapatite, and fluoro-calcium-phospho-silicate ingredients have sufficient evidence to support their effectiveness in managing DH.There is, however, contradicting information on the effectiveness of potassium containing products in the published literature.