Dentinal sensitivity: concept and methodology for its objective evaluation.

Dentinal sensitivity is a clinical condition of some importance, particularly in periodontal patients. Symptoms appear on applying a triggering stimulus to the exposed dentine - the particularity being that the pain is similar to that of other dental disorders of different etiology and treatment. Hence the importance of a correct differential diagnosis. The main problem not only in clinical practice when treating the disorder, but also in designing studies for the objective evaluation of dentinal sensitivity, is the difficulty of standardizing, evaluating and interpreting the clinical condition in its different degrees. Thus, consensus in designing and evaluating studies of dentinal sensitivity would facilitate our understanding of its etiology, and the assessment of possible treatments. Such studies may center their methodology on individual patient response or on the nature of the triggering stimulus. The present study provides an updated and global view of the disorder, and reviews the basic protocol for the objective assessment of dentinal sensitivity.