Objectives Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is a condition commonly encountered in clinical dental practice. The primary objective of this study was to identify the treatments recommended to manage DH among United States dentists. Methods A multicenter study of 1862 patients with DH, diagnosed and treated by 171 National Dental Practice-Based Research Network dentists was conducted. Results The most common treatment recommended was over-the-counter desensitizing (OTC) potassium nitrate toothpaste (alone or in combination with other treatments) to 924 (50%) patients; followed by application of fluoride varnish (FV) to 516 (28%) patients; and then by prescription of fluoride toothpaste to 314 (17%) patients. Restorative treatments were recommended to 151 (8%) of patients. The most common single treatment recommendation was desensitizing OTC potassium nitrate toothpaste, recommended to 335 (18%) patients. The most frequent combination of two treatment modalities was FV and desensitizing OTC potassium nitrate toothpaste, recommended to 100 (5%) patients. A total of 48% (890/1862) of patients with DH were recommended one treatment modality and 35% (644/1862) were recommended a combination of two treatment modalities, most frequently (100/1862, 5%) an application of FV along with desensitizing OTC potassium nitrate toothpaste. Conclusions Desensitizing OTC potassium nitrate toothpaste and fluoride products were the most widely recommended products to manage DH in the practice setting. Practical implications Our results suggest that the majority of network clinicians preferred noninvasive treatment modalities when treating DH.

The practice of dentistry has been dramatically altered by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Given the close person-to-person contact involved in delivering dental care and treatment procedures that produce aerosols, dental healthcare professionals including dentists, dental assistants and dental hygienists are at high risk of exposure. As a dental clinic in a comprehensive cancer center, we have continued to safely provide medically necessary and urgent/emergent dental care to ensure that patients can adhere to their planned cancer treatment. This was accomplished through timely adaptation of clinical workflows and implementation of practice modification measures in compliance with state, national and federal guidelines to ensure that risk of transmission remained low and the health of both immunocompromised cancer patients and clinical staff remained protected. In this narrative review, we share our experience and measures that were implemented in our clinic to ensure that the oral health needs of cancer patients were met in a timely manner and in a safe environment. Given that the pandemic is still on-going, the impact of our modified oral healthcare delivery model in cancer patients warrants continued monitoring and assessment.

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