DTUS2010

At the FDI’s Annual World Dental Congress, which was held recently in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, GSK supported a symposium dedicated to the topic of dentine hypersensitivity. First to speak was Prof. Martin Addy. Addy is a lecturer at the Uni- versity of Bristol’s School of Oral and Dental Sciences. His presentation, “Dentine Hypersensitivity: Under- standing the Condition,” aimed to set the scene by looking at the accepted definition of hypersensitivity and possible reasons for the condition. Addy described the history of the profession’s knowledge of dentine hypersensitivity by quoting Johnson et al. (1982): “An enigma being fre- quently encountered but ill under- stood. Although there has been an awareness of the condition for more than 100 years, there is still much unknown about it.” To define dentine hypersensitivity, Addy looked to Holland et al. (1997): “Dentine hypersensitivity is charac- terised by short, sharp, pain arising from exposed dentine in response to stimuli, typically thermal, evapo- rative, tactile, osmotic or chemical and which cannot be ascribed to any other form of dental defect or pathology.” He commented that it is very diffi- cult to clinically diagnose sensitivity as sensitive and non-sensitive den- tine looks similar at a level where a clinician would be seeing it. He described the most accepted theory for hypersensitivity — hydro- dynamic theory. Explaining the hydrodynamic mechanism in rela- tion to the teeth, he referred to a study where a sensitive and a non- sensitive tooth were analysed. It showed that the sensitive tooth had eight times the number of tubules, and the tubules themselves were twice the diameter of those in the non-sensitive tooth. Next to speak was Prof. Nicola West from the Bristol Dental Hospital and School. Her presentation, “Den- tine Hypersensitivity: The Impor- tance of Patient Factors,” looked at the aetiological factors for hypersen- sitivity. She highlighted the behavioural effect of dentine hypersensitiv- ity on patients whose quality of life is impaired by the condition. She focussed on the issue that dentine needs to be exposed to cause hyper- sensitivity and that the exposure is mainly caused by gingival recession, compromise of gingiva by perio dis- ease or enamel erosion. Gingival recession is often caused by trauma to the margins, usual- ly by the vigorous brushing of the sufferer. West advised looking at a patient’s toothbrush and his/her brushing methods when trying to Industry Symposium Review DENTAL TRIBUNE | September 201022A AD What’s your specialty? Whichever area of dentistry you practice in, you will find articles of interest at www.dental-tribune.com: www.dental-tribune.com By Lisa Townshend, Dental Tribune U.K. Edition Designing multiple restoration types using one dental CAD/CAM system By John Aitchison and Bob Steingart www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/specialities/section/ dental_lab/id/2449 Troubleshooting calcified canals: clinical case review By Dr. Richard E. Mounce, USA www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/specialities/section/ endodontics/id/1696 Bite alteration to reduce gummy smiles By Dr. David S. Frey www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/specialities/section/ cosmetic_dentistry/id/1809 Romancing the spore By Patricia M. Pine, RDH www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/specialities/section/ dental_hygiene/id/1815 Three ways to grow your practice By Jay Geier www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/specialities/section/ practice_management/id/1812 Free yourself from the daily ‘grind’ By Sally McKenzie www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/specialities/section/ practice_management/id/1806 The benefits of expanding and refurbishing your practice By Anne Levitch www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/specialities/section/ practice_management/id/1731 Management of a single implant in the esthetic zone By Dr. Michael Sonick, United States www.dental-tribune.com/articles/content/scope/specialities/section/ implantology/id/1814 Managing dentine hypersensitivityA review of the GSK-supported symposium, ‘Successful management of dentine hypersensitivity in practice’