Prevalence of Dentinal Hypersensitivity among Dental Patients Visiting Tertiary Care Center: An Observational Study

Abstract

Introduction: Dentinal hypersensitivity is a widespread condition characterized by a brief, sharp pain arising from exposed dentin in response to external stimuli, which cannot be linked to any other dental conditions. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dentinal hypersensitivity among patients attending a tertiary health care center.
Methods: A observational cross-section study was conducted, involving 376 patients aged 10-70 years who visited a tertiary care center. Convenience sampling was employed to select participants, and the prevalence of dentinal hypersensitivity was assessed through a questionnaire. Data were collected from the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology after obtaining ethical approval Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 385 (6-11) E2 079/80). The analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel, and descriptive statistics were reported .
Results: There were 376 patients in the study and the prevlence of dentin hypersensitivity wasa 236 (62.77%; CI 95%: 57.66%-67.67%). Among those diagnosed, 138 (73.02%) were male, and 98 (52.41%) were female. The age-specific prevalence was found to be 30 (50.85%) in patients aged 10-19 years, 73 (63.48%) in those aged 20-29 years, 42 (53.16%) in patients aged 30-39 years, 23 (51.11%) in those aged 40-49 years.
Conclusions: This study identified a high prevalence of dentin hypersensitivity among the patient population, with variations observed across different age and sex groups.