Prevalence of dentine hypersensitivity among Thai dental patients at the Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of dentine hypersensitivity (DH) and its associated etiological factors among Thai patients visiting the Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University, Thailand. Questionnaires were administered to 420 patients to obtain demographic information, dental history, eating habits and DH symptom data. The diagnosis of DH was established by a short, sharp pain arising from exposed dentine in response to triple-syringe air blow and exploration of the tooth surface. The chi-square test was used to analyze the association between DH and various types of stimuli. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Of the 420 patients studied, 129 (30.7%) had DH in 198 teeth. Women (70.5%) were affected more often than men. The age range with the highest incidence of DH was the 30-39 year old group (34.1%). The first molar (29.3%) was the most frequent sensitive tooth. Cold (36.4%) was the most common cause of DH. Hard food and acidic fruits were also significantly associated with DH. DH has a moderate prevalence among Thais and is associated with cold and consumption of hard food, and sour fruits.