Research progress in laser treatment of dentin hypersensitivity

Dentin hypersensitivity is mainly associated with abrasion, wear, acid etching, cracking, wedge-shaped defects, enamel hypoplasia, caries, a lack of neck enamel, and cementum coverage accompanied by gingival recession, resulting in direct exposure of dentin tubules to the oral environment. Dentin hypersensitivity is mainly treated by sealing the exposed dentin tubules and reducing the excitability of the pulpal nerves. Laser therapy, as a safe, fast and convenient treatment measure, has achieved good results both alone and in combination with other medicines and has attracted increasing attention. This paper reviews the research progress in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity using several common laser therapy mechanisms with parameter selections in various scopes of application. A review of the literature shows that the Nd:YAG laser has a strong penetrating power and a large thermal effect and can denature and coagulate proteins in dentin tubules in a very short time; while the CO₂ laser causes little damage to the dental pulp and has an obvious immediate curative effect by high absorption of water molecules in hydroxyapatite and the dentin surface is melted and recrystallized; the Er:YAG laser has high water absorption and a large thermal effect and can block the tubules by evaporating the fluid in the tubules and depositing salts; Er, Cr:YSGG laser energy can be fully absorbed by hydroxyapatite and water and result in desensitization by cutting hard tissues and melting periodontal dentin of the tube simultaneously; The Ga-Al-As semiconductor laser and He:Ne laser are low energy. The laser dosage mainly changes the permeability of nerve fibers to potassium and sodium ions and depolarizes the nerve fibers, producing an analgesic effect. The combination of a laser with a desensitizer can improve the clinical efficacy of treating dentin hypersensitivity.