A Systematic Review of the Prevalence of Root Sensitivity Following Periodontal Therapy

Objectives: To systematically review the evidence on the prevalence of root sensitivity following periodontal therapy.

Material And Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal clinical studies were searched for in electronic databases, hand searched journals and through contact with authors directly. The screening and data extraction were conducted by several reviewers independently. The main outcome measure was prevalence of root sensitivity following periodontal therapy.

Results: The prevalence of root sensitivity was 9-23% before and 54-55% after periodontal therapy. An increase in the intensity of root sensitivity occurred 1-3 weeks following therapy, after which it decreased.

Conclusions: It is concluded that there are insufficient randomized controlled trials to adequately address the stipulated question. However, based on the scarce evidence from only two studies, root sensitivity occurs in approximately half of the patients following subgingival scaling and root planing. The intensity of root sensitivity increases for a few weeks after therapy, after which it decreases. In clinical practice, it may be recommended that patients should be made aware of the potential for root sensitivity prior to treatment. In research, it may be recommended to conduct randomized controlled and prospective studies with both short and long follow-up periods. Furthermore, to investigate the effects and the relationship of root instrumentation with the aetiology of root sensitivity, the efficacy of preventive and therapeutic regimes for root sensitivity, and the incidence and severity of root sensitivity by subjective patient-reporting, and the response to different modes of stimuli. Protocols should follow the criteria used in dentine hypersensitivity studies.