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To determine the efficacy of two oral hygiene regimens in the reduction of dentin hypersensitivity (DH) on subjects undergoing non-surgical periodontal treatment (NST), over a period of 8 weeks.60 subjects that were randomly assigned to: Test group - NST followed in-office application of an arginine-based professional paste and toothbrushing with arginine-based toothpaste at home (n= 30) and Control group - NST followed in-office application of a fluoride-free prophylaxis paste and toothbrushing with a toothpaste based on sodium monofluorophosphate 0.76%, at home (n= 30). Air blast sensitivity assessments were made using the Schiff scale. The sensitivity parameters were measured at baseline, 1, 4 and 8 weeks.After 1 week, DH reduction was statistically significant for the test group (63.6%) compared to baseline, while no significant reduction was observed for the Control group (4.8%). After 4-8 weeks, the reductions were 81.6%/86.3% for the test group and 9.5%/14.2% for the Control group. When comparing the two groups, the test group showed a superior DH reduction in all evaluation periods (P0.05). Within the limits of the present study, it was concluded that the test oral hygiene regimen can effectively reduce dentin hypersensitivity during the most critical period after non-surgical periodontal treatment (up to 8 weeks).The arginine-based approach provided significantly greater dentin hypersensitivity (DH) relief after non-surgical periodontal treatment (NST) when compared to the control. The combination of the in-office paste application with the daily used toothpaste may be a useful tool to reduce DH, an unpleasant and common condition that affects a large number of subjects, particularly during the initial weeks following NST.

To determine the efficacy in reducing dentin hypersensitivity (DHS) of a combined in-office and home-use desensitizing system, each product containing 8% arginine and calcium carbonate (Test), following a dental scaling procedure, compared to the combination of a conventional prophylactic paste and a potassium nitrate dentifrice (Control), in a group of patients with known dentin hypersensitivity.An 8-week clinical study, with 50 subjects, was conducted in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil, using a double-blind/two treatment design. Air blast sensitivity assessments were used to compare the efficacy of the two approaches using both the Schiff scale as well as a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).Immediately after prophylaxis, the Test treatment provided significant reduction in DHS when compared to baseline values (VAS = 26.2% and Schiff = 29.1%), while for Control treatment this difference was not statistically significant (VAS = 8.1% and Schiff = 6.6%). The comparison between groups after prophylaxis showed a greater DHS reduction for the Test treatment (P0.05). The reductions in DHS after 2, 4 and 8 weeks were significant for both groups, however, when considering Schiff scale, the Test treatment provided greater DHS reduction after 2 weeks (44.5% for Test versus 27.7% for Control) and 4 weeks (55.2% for Test and 40.5% for Control), while after 8 weeks there was no significant difference between groups (71.1% for Test versus 61.1% for Control).

To evaluate the influence of tetracycline gel, brushed on tooth surfaces, on periodontal clinical parameters following root debridement.20 subjects diagnosed with chronic periodontitis and presenting a minimum of two proximal sites on anterior teeth (maxillary or mandibular) with probing depth +/- 5 mm, were selected. Following oral hygiene instructions and ultrasonic supragingival instrumentation, subjects were assigned to one of the following groups: RDS--root debridement with Gracey curettes and root brushing with saline solution; and RDT--root debridement with Gracey curettes and root brushing with 40% tetracycline gel. Full-thickness flaps were reflected and instrumentation was performed using a clinical microscope to optimize calculus detection. Probing depth (PD), relative gingival margin level (RGML) and relative attachment level (RAL) measures were registered at five visits: baseline and days 30, 60, 90 and 120 postoperative.Both approaches were able to markedly reduce the PD values from baseline in all periods (P0.0001). No differences were found for RAL values in any of the groups. No differences were found between groups. In conclusion, the application of tetracycline gel does not seem to provide any additional improvement on clinical periodontal parameters after root debridement.