Do you take dentine hypersensitivity seriously? Your patients do

cspr1Research conducted by Colgate shows that seven out of 10 consumers would switch to a dental practice that took their dentine hypersensitivity more seriously.

The Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief survey was conducted with 2,000 consumers and 100 dental practitioners in order to gauge the true extent of dentine hypersensitivity in the UK, and its impact on the nation’s oral and economic health.

The research highlights significant differences in how dentists and consumers believe dentine hypersensitivity is managed; while eight out of 10 dentists surveyed believe that their profession tackles dentine hypersensitivity effectively, consumers believe that only one in three dentists (31%) took their pain seriously enough.

Up to 145,000 dental appointments are cancelled every year due to sensitivity (www.fr.zenopa.com, 2011).

Every missed appointment wastes 27 minutes of practice time, including dentist, nurse and administrative time, which adds up to an annual loss to dentists of around £9 million (www.sunderlandecho.com, 2013).

Dr David Bloom, former president of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and consultant on the research, said: ‘The data suggests that dentists who provide practical advice and solutions for patients with dentine hypersensitivity are likely to improve retention rates and attract new patients.

‘While findings show that almost two thirds of dentists routinely ask their patients if they experience any discomfort, as practitioners we need to explore new strategies to identify those who suffer from dentine hypersensitivity and reinforce the message there are simple solutions that will ease suffering, both between visits and in-surgery.’

Economist, Stephen Lucas, who also consulted on the research, said: ‘Patients will profit from putting their health first.

‘Dentists surveyed reported that at least half of the patients who missed appointments subsequently required urgent dental treatment due to the delay.

‘Costs ranged from an £18 fee for an urgent NHS appointment, to the other extreme of restorative work totalling £20,000.

‘Patients need to understand that in many cases, the treatment for dentine hypersensitivity is relatively straightforward and could help them save money in the long run.’

Depending on the severity of dentine hypersensitivity, a number of effective treatments are available.

These treatments focus on blocking the pain pathway by either desensitising the nerve endings or occluding the dentine tubule.

Colgate claim that its Sensitive Pro-Relief toothpaste with Pro-Argin technology provides instant (when applied to each sensitive tooth for one minute) and long-lasting relief from the pain of dentine hypersensitivity, whilst containing the recommended fluoride level for protection against caries.

Clinical trials have confirmed that Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief toothpaste delivers instant and long-lasting relief from dental hypersensitivity.

A study published in the American Journal of Dentistry reported that the unique Pro-Argin technology of Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief, which combines arginine and calcium carbonate with 1450ppm fluoride, provides ‘statistically superior efficacy’ to leading desensitising toothpastes that contain 2% potassium ion.

References

www.fr.zenopa.com/news/800358068/bda-highlights-impact-of-missed-appointments (2011) retrieved December 2013

www.sunderlandecho.com/news/health/missed-sunderland-dentist-appointments-cost-thousands-1-5403179 (2013) retrieved December 2013

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