Volume 9 • 2022 • Issue 3

UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE DENTIN HYPERSENSITIVITY PATIENT Is it time to think differently about dentin hypersensitivity? Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) affects 60% of Canadians. 1 Its ubiquity as a condition can mean that it is regarded, by both patients and dental practitioners, as a minor oral health concern. Yet, even among those with mild symptoms, coping measures to manage DH can affect their daily activities. “We know that the impact of this condition can, for some people, result in really significant impacts on oral health-related quality of life,” says Professor Barry Gibson, Professor in Medical Sociology, School of Clinical Dentistry at the University of Sheffield. He added that how DH affects people can range from being very mild to becoming predictable and forming part of an “illness career.” Does this provide dentists with an opportunity to reappraise DH? “Seeing it as a chronic condition means that the dentist can see that this may well have progression. This could be something that could be long term and that needs management,” adds Professor Gibson. Understanding this health and illness journey is vital and can have longer-term benefits for the dentist-patient interaction that goes beyond the time they spent in the dentist’s chair. Recognizing the impact a simple dental condition can have on patients’ real lives outside the surgery can help change the interaction between them and their dentist, believes Dr. Koula Asimakopoulou, Reader in Health Psychology at King’s College London: “It’s about building a relationship, using the easy, the simple and the mild - and fixing these - to actually engender trust and confidence in the relationship with the patient.” It’s not major – but it matters Research from Professor Gibson’s team suggests that DH has, over the years, been “displaced, trivialized and transformed into a non-problem problem”. 2 Although this has been the necessary consequence of an essential public health focus on caries, he points out that we are now seeing conditions arising as a direct consequence of improved oral care, such as dentin hypersensitivity from over brushing. From the dentists’ perspective, DH is a commonly seen condition. In GSK research among dentists worldwide, 45% make a DH diagnosis at least once daily. 3 Patients who are less concerned about their DH are, unsurprisingly, less likely to seek dental advice: 42% versus 82% of those that are highly bothered. 4 Yet, even among those patients who are less bothered about DH, nearly half will experience symptoms at least once a month, while over a third suffer weekly. 5 Although this DH experience is broadly similar to those that are highly bothered, these ‘mild’ sufferers tend not to categorize themselves as being someone Do patients and dentists think dentin hypersensitivity is a minor oral health issue or a chronic condition? Insight from wider sociological and psychological work suggests changing the perception of dentin hypersensitivity could help patients manage this common oral complaint and also help strengthen the dentist-patient relationship The article below features input from healthcare professionals from the United Kingdom and has been adapted for Canadian healthcare professionals. “We know that the impact of this condition can, for some people, result in really significant impacts on oral health- related quality of life…” Sponsored Content