Effect of Immediate Dentin Sealing with Air Abrasion on Post-operative Sensitivity for Indirect Resin Composite Restorations

Abstract

Background: Various treatment modalities are available to decrease the postoperative sensitivity of indirect resin composite restorations. Aim: Compare the effectiveness of immediate dentin sealing using universal adhesive and air abrasion versus immediate dentin sealing without air abrasion on postoperative sensitivity in teeth prepared for indirect resin composite restorations. Methods and Materials: Twenty-eight patients between 18 and 30 years of age were recruited and randomized to two treatment protocols with fourteen teeth (n = 14) included in each protocol. After baseline preoperative data collection, the diagnosis of caries was made depending on the clinical examination and radiographic examination. After cavity preparation was done, all cavities in each protocol were managed with immediate dentin sealing, and the single-bond universal adhesive was applied over all the dentinal surfaces according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Protocol One (P1) air abrasion was used for immediate dentin sealing before cementation. In the second protocol (P2), the dentin was sealed without the use of air abrasion. Postoperative sensitivity (POS) was evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at baseline, one day after the cavity preparation (T1), one-week post-cementation of the indirect composite restoration (T2), after 3 months (T3), and after 12 months (T4). Statistical analysis used: The normality of distribution parameters was evaluated by one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov first, and then, for nonparametric distribution, the Kruskal-Wallis Test was used to test the interaction between different variables. followed by the Mann-Whitney U test to compare the two groups. Results: Despite air abrasion's effect, there was no statistically significant change in scores between the P1 and P2 groups. Postoperative sensitivity was highest at T1, then T2, T3, and T4. Statistically, these differences were significant (P 0.001). No statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) were found between T2, T3, and T4 with or without air abrasion. Conclusion: Air abrasion during cementation of indirect resin restorations does not affect postoperative sensitivity after immediate dentin sealing. Keywords: Immediate dentin sealing, Air abrasion, surface treatment, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Postoperative sensitivity. Key Messages: Air abrasion applied to immediate dentin sealing can be used safely without affecting postoperative sensitivity.