Methods of measuring tooth hypersensitivity.

Thermal, tactile, osmotic, and electrical stimuli, as well as exposure to air, can each elicit a painful response in individuals with hypersensitive teeth, and thus provide the basis for the different methods used to measure dentinal hypersensitivity. Tactile methods range from simple use of a sharp dental explorer to devices that can quantify the probing or scratching pressure exerted generally along the cementoenamel junction. Thermal methods involve flow of air or metal probes applied in different ways. Electrical stimulus is more complex and generally consists of progressive elevation of the magnitude of the stimulus until a sense of prepain rather than pain is felt. More than one method is usually needed in order to assess dentinal hypersensitivity, which has been estimated to affect one in every seven patients that visit a dental office.