Investigating red light therapy for hypersensitive teeth during dental cleans

Objective: Compare the efficacy of pulpal analgesia following photobiomodulation (PBM) with a multiwavelength LED device (Nuralyte®, Dentroid Canberra, Australia) for hypersensitive teeth during supragingival debridements. Intervention: Participant blinded treatment for hypersensitive teeth during a supragingival debridement using either sham irradiation or actual light exposure with the Nuralyte® (Dentroid Canberra, Australia) - Light-emitting diode (LED) device. The device used in this study is a polychromatic light-emitting diode (LED) device (Nuralyte®, Dentroid Canberra, Australia). It emits wavelengths of light from 700-1100nm with a spot size of 7mm and a measured power output of 113mW. The standard exposure time is 60 sec which will result in application of 6.77J of energy to the site with an energy density of 17.6 J/cm2. Who will deliver the intervention This trial will be undertaken by a registered general dentist or dental specialist. The intervention will administered in a clinical setting utilising appropriate personal protective equipment and following manufacturer instructions. Location where intervention will occur The study will occur at private practice dental clinics in Queensland, Australia (multi-centre study). Participant selection Adult dental patients (aged 18 years and above) who require a supragingival debridement as part of routine dental treatment will be invited to participate in the study. The registered dental practitioner or registered dental specialist will screen the patient and those who adhere to the inclusion criteria will be invited to participate. Mode of delivery/number of times delivered Each participant will be randomly assigned to receive either a sham exposure or the Nuralyte® device if a hypersensitive tooth is detected during supragingival debridement. If multiple sensitive teeth are detected and the participant is initially assigned to the sham exposure, only the first tooth will receive the sham treatment, while subsequent teeth will receive the active light treatment to ensure participants are not disadvantaged. If the Nuralyte device is to be used it will be applied to the tooth as a once off, for 60 seconds and adherence will be via direct observation by the dental practitioner. The operator needs to wait two minutes and can continue cleaning other teeth before returning to the tooth of interest with hypersensitivity for further cleaning. Afterwards, participants will be asked to report on the level of discomfort felt during the supraginginval debridement of that particular tooth. The registered general dental practitioner or dental specialist will also be required to record the following parameters at the time of the appointment on the provided data collection sheet: • Tooth of interest (FDI notation), patient age and gender • Pre-screening for history of hypersensitive teeth - Do you feel a short, sharp sensation in your teeth when you consume something cold, hot, sweet, or sour? and How often do you feel this short, sharp sensation in your teeth? • Brand of scaler used e.g EMS, Cavitron etc • Setting of the scaler % • Reported VAS pain scale for adult participants (1-10) at two time points Time point 1: When the hypersensitive tooth is detected during the supragingival clean Time point 2: After the hypersensitive tooth has received either Nuralyte or sham