Perceptions of dentine hypersensitivity in a general practice population

Recent studies have attempted to determine the prevalence of dentine hypers ensitivity (DH) in both hospital and general practice. Results indicate tha t DH prevalence is higher in patients referred for specialist treatment tha n in general practice. The aim of this study was to determine perception an d prevalence of DH in general practice. Completed questionnaires from 277 p atients (115 males, 162 females, mean age 41.7years [SD 14.36]) were collec ted. Self-reported DH prevalence (52%) was observed between the third and f ourth decades, peaking in the third and in good agreement with that previou sly published (45.2%), and significantly more females complained of DH than males (SND = 2.24, 95% Cl 0.01734-0.2661). Cold was perceived as the most common cause of DH, in agreement with other studies. Only 12.6% of patients reported periodontal surgery compared to 15.5% previously. Of those who re ceived hygiene therapy (67.9%) only 15.5% reported DH following treatment w hich mainly did not last greater than or equal to 5 days. Most patients wit h DH did not perceive the condition as severe and did not seek treatment (7 5.1%). Only 23.3% used a desensitizing dentifrice. The results indicated th at self-reporting of DH is lower than reported in a dental hospital populat ion and was not perceived as a major dental problem by most patients in a g eneral dental practice population.