The aim of this study was to investigate how Brazilian dentists perceive and manage dentin hypersensitivity (DH) in their clinical routine. A 13-item questionnaire-based survey was developed and sent electronically to a convenience sample of dentists. The questionnaire assessed the personal and dental practice characteristics of the sample, the occurrence of DH in their daily clinical practice, and management strategies. The data were analyzed descriptively and together with the chi-square test (a = 0.05). A total of 353 responses were obtained from September 2017 to March 2018. Of all the respondents, 62% were females, 49.9% reported fewer than five years of dental practice, and 70.5% were self-identified as private practitioners. Most of the dentists reported an estimated frequency (30-60%) of patients with DH in their practice. The most frequently cited (91.79%) trigger of DH was air blast and/or scratching with a probe. The first-choice strategy to manage DH was a dentin desensitizer (48.16%). The number of years in clinical practice did not influence DH relapse frequency (p = 0.76) significantly, or consider DH treatment as a problem (p = 0.22). The present findings indicate that, regardless of clinical experience, dentists in Brazil still consider DH management a challenge in their daily dental practice. In addition, the results suggest that guidelines should be developed to disseminate the available knowledge regarding this condition in ways that may influence decision-making processes among practitioners.

Background: The events of bone formation and osteoblast/titanium (Ti) interactions may be affected by Hedgehog and Notch signalling pathways. Herein, we investigated the effects of modulation of these signalling pathways on osteoblast differentiation caused by the nanostructured Ti (Ti-Nano) generated by H₂SO₄/H₂O₂. Methods: Osteoblasts from newborn rat calvariae were cultured on Ti-Control and Ti-Nano in the presence of the Hedgehog agonist purmorphamine or antagonist cyclopamine and of the Notch antagonist N-(3,5-Difluorophenacetyl)-L-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT) or agonist bexarotene. Osteoblast differentiation was evaluated by alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization, and the expression of Hedgehog and Notch receptors was also evaluated. Results: In general, purmorphamine and DAPT increased while cyclopamine and bexarotene decreased osteoblast differentiation and regulated the receptor expression on both Ti surfaces, with more prominent effects on Ti-Nano. The purmorphamine and DAPT combination exhibited synergistic effects on osteoblast differentiation that was more intense on Ti-Nano. Conclusion: Our results indicated that the Hedgehog and Notch signalling pathways drive osteoblast/Ti interactions more intensely on nanotopography. We also demonstrated that combining Hedgehog activation with Notch inhibition exhibits synergistic effects on osteoblast differentiation, especially on Ti-Nano. The uncovering of these cellular mechanisms contributes to create strategies to control the process of osseointegration based on the development of nanostructured surfaces.

This review elucidates the dental structure chemical degradation and saliva roles in the origin and progression of NCCLs. Dentin chemical degradation is a predominant factor that contributes to the origin and progression of noncarious cervical lesions, which includes the biocorrosive factors: chemical, biochemical, electrochemical and piezoelectric dentin effects. The biocorrosive process involves endogenous and exogenous agents. As regard to saliva roles, the flow rate, buffering capacity, pH and its protein composition are valid parameters to identify biocorrosive factors. Thus, the association of acids agents, altered salivary parameters and specifics proteases are important conditions to promote dental wear. It can be concluded that endogenous and exogenous acids agents, salivary parameters and specific oral biomarkers are important to support the diagnostic and management of dental wear and noncarious cervical lesions.