Clinical evaluation of a dental rinse containing aluminum lactate for treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity

The effectiveness of a dental rinse containing aluminum lactate, which was used as a daily home treatment for dental hypersensitivity, was evaluated in a 6-week, double blind study. Fifty-six subjects who complained of cold and/or tactile hypersensitivity were randomly divided into two groups: one given a dental rinse containing 2.18% aluminum lactate (test group) and the other a vehicle control dental rinse (control group). Subjects in both groups were instructed to rinse with the assigned dental rinse and to brush their teeth twice daily. The hypersensitivity levels of the affected teeth were assessed at baseline and at 4 and 6 weeks by application of tactile, cold air and cold water stimuli, and scored against baseline. All hypersensitivity scores in both groups were decreased significantly at weeks 4 and 6 compared to the baseline (p < 0.001). The hypersensitivity scores for tactile, cold air and cold water stimuli in the test group were significantly lower at weeks 4 and/or 6 compared to those in the control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, on the analysis for the teeth with apparent pain (score 2 or 3) at the baseline, the reduction rates of hypersensitivity scores for cold air and cold water stimuli in the test group were significantly greater than those in the control group (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that daily home use of a dental rinse containing aluminum lactate is effective for treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity.