Limited evidence for the use of oxalates for treating dentine hypersensitivity

The Dental Elf, 2012

Dentine hypersensitivity is a troublesome  condition that results in sharp sudden burst of pain in response to thermal stimuli such as hot or cold foods, but may also arise from tactile stimuli such as use of  a toothbrush.
This 2011 review  by Cunha-Cruz et al which addressed the question;  Do oxalates reduce dentine hypersensitivity?   has just had a critical summary prepared under the auspices of the American Dental Association Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry, published in the Journal of the American Dental Association.
The appraiser noted that  the reviewers had conducted  an exhaustive search but only a small number of studies (12) were found.
He notes that the reviewers were also hampered by a lack of a gold standard for measuring dentine hypersensitivity and variation in follow up  times.   This together with variations in studies designs meant that there was substantial heterogeneity between the included studies.