Potassium Nitrate Gel and Diode Laser for Dentinal Hypersensitivity

December 20, 2024 updated by: Alessandro Bruni, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

Clinical Evaluation of the Combined Effect of a Potassium Nitrate Gel and Diode Laser in the Treatment of Dentinal Hypersensitivity: a Randomized Clinical Trial

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to evaluate whether combining a potassium nitrate gel with diode laser therapy is more effective in treating dentinal hypersensitivity compared to using the gel alone. The study involves adult participants with at least two teeth affected by dentinal hypersensitivity. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does the combined use of potassium nitrate gel and diode laser therapy reduce dentinal hypersensitivity more effectively than gel alone? How does this combined treatment impact sensitivity-related quality of life over time? Researchers will compare the outcomes between the two groups (combined therapy versus gel alone) to determine the effectiveness of the combined treatment.

Participants will:

Undergo assessments of dentinal hypersensitivity using the Shiff Air Index (SAI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at baseline and at follow-ups (1 month, 3 months, and 6 months post-treatment).

Complete a questionnaire to evaluate the impact of dentinal hypersensitivity on daily life at baseline and after 6 months.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
12

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Italy
    • PV
      • Pavia, PV, Italy
        • Università degli Studi di Pavia, Department of Orthodontics

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 years or older.
  • At least two teeth affected by dentinal hypersensitivity.
  • Good standard of home oral hygiene.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Use of pain relievers.
  • Ongoing orthodontic treatment.
  • Non-vital teeth or teeth with restorative materials.
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Potassium Nitrate Gel with Diode Laser Therapy
Combination product: Potassium Nitrate Gel and Diode Laser Therapy
Participants in the experimental group receive treatment combining a desensitizing gel containing 5% potassium nitrate (Emoform Actisens) applied to affected teeth and diode laser therapy (980 nm). The laser is used with specific power settings (0.3W, 0.5W, 0.7W) for 20 seconds at each setting, followed by a second application of the gel and irradiation. The treatment aims to reduce dentinal hypersensitivity by occluding dentinal tubules and altering neural responses.
Active Comparator: Potassium Nitrate Gel Alone
Drug: Potassium Nitrate Gel Alone
Participants in the control group receive treatment with a desensitizing gel containing 5% potassium nitrate (Emoform Actisens) applied to the teeth. The gel is applied twice using a microbrush in a rubbing motion for 2 minutes each time. No diode laser therapy is administered. This intervention aims to evaluate the standalone efficacy of the gel in reducing dentinal hypersensitivity.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Reduction in Dentinal Hypersensitivity (Shiff Air Index)
Time Frame: Baseline (T0), immediately post-treatment (T1), 1 month (T2), 3 months (T3), and 6 months (T4)
The Shiff Air Index measures sensitivity by applying a standardized air stimulus to the dental surface. Patients report their sensitivity level on a scale from 0 to 3, where 0 indicates no sensitivity and 3 indicates severe sensitivity. The scores are interpreted to assess the degree of dentinal hypersensitivity.
Baseline (T0), immediately post-treatment (T1), 1 month (T2), 3 months (T3), and 6 months (T4)
Reduction in Dentinal Hypersensitivity (Visual Analog Scale)
Time Frame: Baseline (T0), immediately post-treatment (T1), 1 month (T2), 3 months (T3), and 6 months (T4).
The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) measures the intensity of pain by asking participants to rate their pain on a 10-point scale, where 0 represents no pain and 10 represents the worst pain imaginable. Participants will receive guidance to mark their pain level on the scale based on their subjective experience, providing a standardized measure of dentinal hypersensitivity.
Baseline (T0), immediately post-treatment (T1), 1 month (T2), 3 months (T3), and 6 months (T4).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in Quality of Life (Dentine Hypersensitivity Experience Questionnaire)
Time Frame: Baseline (T0) and 6 months (T4)
The Dentine Hypersensitivity Experience Questionnaire (DHEQ) is a validated tool designed to assess the impact of dentinal hypersensitivity on daily activities, emotions, and overall quality of life. It consists of 15 questions rated on a 1 to 7 scale, where higher scores indicate a greater negative impact on quality of life.
Baseline (T0) and 6 months (T4)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Pavia
University of Genova

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 7, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 31, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 17, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 20, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 20, 2024

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 76 2022-0316

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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