Bye bye hypersensitive teeth: COSSMA

Many people who suffer are unaware that tooth sensitivity can be managed effectively. Studies show that an ingredient combined with toothpaste can help alleviate the painful symptoms.

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is a common oral health issue that has a negative effect on quality of life for millions of people globally. According to a systematic review1 published in 2013, the proportion of adults who suffer from DH is between 25 and 30 percent, depending on the population group. Overall, prevalence ranges from 3 to 57 percent, with the peak age being between 30 and 40 years. Interestingly, women seem to be affected to a slightly greater extent than men.

The vast prevalence of the condition appears to have several different contributory factors.One of these may be that people do not always seek professional help when suffering from DH, but rather try to live with it by adapting their lifestyles to minimize its impact.

Pain and cause

DH is characterized by sharp, short pain that can be triggered by tactile, chemical, thermal or air blowing stimuli. For example, consumption of certain foods and beverages is known to trigger the pain. Acidic and/or cold beverages, ice cream, citrus fruits and hot drinks like tea and coffee are among the most common causes.People who suffer from DH often start to avoid consuming potential trigger products because they are afraid of the pain. However, these are only the triggers, and the underlying problem persists.

Dentin hypersensitivity arises when tubules within tooth dentin become exposed. This can occur for various reasons. Aggressive tooth brushing is a common cause, but teeth can also become sensitive after dental work such as scaling, root canal or tooth whitening procedures. Exposed dentin and therefore DH can also be caused by periodontal disease. Once they are exposed, it is easier for dentin tubules to come into contact with stimuli such as hot, cold, sweet or acidic foods and beverages, which can induce the movement of fluid within the tubules. This movement then triggers nerves within the pulp, which ultimately causes the short, sharp pain.^2,3

Treatment

A simple and affordable approach is to occlude the dentin tubules and thus block stimuli from provoking the movement of dentinal fluid. An active ingredient has been specifically developed to meet the requirements of teeth with exposed dentin characterized by dentin sensitivity. Thanks to its small, tailored particles, Omyadent 200-OG penetrates the tubules in the dentin and occludes them effectively.^4,5,6,7

The natural ingredient has a core of calcium carbonate and a shell of hydroxyapatite – a calcium phosphate that is a major component of teeth. This hydroxyapatite shell gives exceptional affinity with the surface of the teeth and therefore good performance characteristics. In addition, the hydroxyapatite shell delivers improved acid resistance compared to calcium carbonate and enables Omyadent 200-OG to survive acid attacks more effectively.

Figure 1. Scanning electron microscope image (SEM) of 5% Omyadent 220-OG particles. Photo: Omya

Figure 2. SEM image of Toothpaste with 5% Omyadent 220-OG particles. Photo: Omya

Scientifically proven performance

The performance of Omyadent 200-OG as a tubule occlusion particle and desensitizing agent for oral care has been proven in comprehensive scientific studies.

In one such study, dentin specimens were treated with either Omyadent 200-OG particles, a toothpaste formulated with Omyadent 200-OG, a negative control or a positive control. The positive control was a toothpaste already on the market with a desensitization/ tubule occlusion claim, while the negative control was hydroxyethyl cellulose, which was expected to have no occlusion properties. Figures 1-4 show scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the treated dentin specimens as described above. The excellent tubule occlusion properties of Omyadent 200-OG are clearly visible. The particles on their own can be seen to occlude the tubules (Figure 1), and there is even greater occlusion in the toothpaste formulated with the particles (Figure 2). There is a marked difference between these specimens and the controls, including the toothpaste that is already on sale.

Figure 3. SEM image of a positive control with a market tooth-paste. Photo: Omya

Figure 4. SEM image of a negative control with hydroxyethyl-cellulose. Photo: Omya

Application possibilities

Omyadent 200-OG can be formulated into toothpastes based on various cleaning particles. For instance, toothpastes based on natural calcium carbonate, such as Omya’s Omyacare cleaning particles, have been formulated and tested successfully. Silica- based toothpastes have also been trialed and shown to have high tubule occlusion efficiency when combined with Omyadent 200-OG.

Commercial marketing of such products can give hope to the millions of people around the world who tolerate pain caused by DH. Simple tooth brushing with the correct toothpaste can have a marked impact on their overall quality of life, improving symptoms and alleviating pain. Contrary to the belief of many patients, DH is not a condition that has to be lived with as a side-effect of modern lifestyles.

References:

^1. Spieth C.H., Tachou A. Epidemiology of dentin hypersensitivity, Clinical Oral Investigations, 2013 Mar; 17 (Suppl 1): 3–8, published online 2012 Dec 7.

^2. Addy M. Dentine hypersensitivity: new perspectives on an old problem. Int Dent J. 2002;52(5)(suppl 1):367–375.

^3. Guignon AN. Dentinal hypersensitivity. http://www.rdhmag.com/articles/print/volume-34/issue-7/features/dentinal hypersensitivity.html. Published 2014.

^4. Budde T., Sternitzke V. Functionalized Calcium w Carbonate (FCC) particles to occlude dentin tubules, ORCA, Oslo, 2017.

^5.Budde T, Sternitzke V. Assessment of hydraulic conductance of functionalized calcium carbonate occluded dentin tubules, IADR, Vienna, 2017.

^6. Saara Välimaa,Tanja Budde, Pekka Vallittu. Grit Blasted Hydroxyapatite Calcium Carbonate Particles Occlude Dentine Tubules and Give Rise to Biomineralization; International Association for Dental Research (IADR), General Session & Exhibition, San Francisco, 2017.

⁷. S. Valimaa, L. Perea-Lowery, J.-H. Smatt, J. Peltonen, T. Budde, P. K. Vallittu. Grit blasted aggregates of hydroxyl apatite functionalized calcium carbonate in occluding dentinal tubules. Heliyon 4, 2018.