Evaluation and comparison of the efficacy of the diode laser and Biodentine on dentinal tubule occlusion.

Background & aim: Dental hypersensitivity (DH) is a common issue characterized by discomfort and pain when cold, hot, or acidic substances are consumed. DH treatment aims to control or eliminate causative factors and utilize desensitizing agents to occlude open dentinal tubules; however, there is no standardized definitive treatment yet. The increasing use of lasers, especially diode lasers, along with innovative materials such as Biodentin has contributed to advancing treatments. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of a diode laser and Biodentin in the treatment of dentinal tubule occlusion. Materials & methods: In this experimental study, 48 extracted human teeth were randomly divided into four groups: a control group (no treatment), a Biodentine-treated group, a diode laser 660 nm-treated group, and a combination group treated with both laser and Biodentine. After treatment, the samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the percentage of tubule occlusion was categorized into four levels. Results: A total of 83.3 % of the samples in the combination group (laser and Biodentine) achieved level 3 occlusion (more than 75 % occlusion), whereas 91.7 % of those in the Biodentine-only group were also in level 3. The percentage of patients in the laser-only group was 33.3 % in Level 2 and 66.7 % in Level 1 occlusion. Conclusion: In conclusion, there was no significant difference in the occlusion measurement between the combination treatment group and the Biodentine-only group, with both being primarily rated as Level 3 occlusions. Therefore, the use of a diode laser at 660 nm in conjunction with Biodentine has effects similar to those of Biodentine alone.