Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate and compare the incidence of dentin hypersensitivity among men and women in an adult population who required replacement of missing tooth/teeth with a fixed partial prosthesis (FPD).
Materials and methods: The study population included 124 subjects (62 men and 62 women), who visited the out-patient department in need of FPD for replacement of missing teeth. After conducting routine examinations, each abutment tooth received two stimuli: Tactile and thermal to assess the sensitivity. The measurement of sensitivity was carried out by using a 10 cm visual analog scale before preparation and after preparation. The results were analyzed statistically using the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: The results showed that women reported more dentin hypersensitivity than men before and after tooth preparation.
Conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrated that women reported more dentin hypersensitivity than men before and after tooth preparation. More studies are needed to explore this nature on gender basis.
Keywords: Dentin hypersensitivity; gender differences; pain; tactile stimulus; tooth preparation; visual analog scale.