The use of quality-of-life questionnaires in the assessment and management of dentin hypersensitivity: A systematic literature review.

INTRODUCTION/

OBJECTIVES

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) negatively affects daily functioning and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). This systematic literature review aimed identifing OHRQoL questionnaires used in DH research (children, adolescent and/or adults) and describing their contexts of use and associated diagnostic criteria.

DATA: Studies (interventional and observational) evaluating DH using OHRQoL questionnaires.

SOURCES: Electronic searches were conducted in January 2026 in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and Google Scholar without restriction on publication date.

STUDY SELECTION: Studies published in English that assessed DH using an OHRQoL questionnaire were included. Titles and abstracts were independently screened by two reviewers, followed by full-text assessment according to predefined eligibility criteria.

RESULTS

Five OHRQoL questionnaires were identified, with Dentine Hypersensitivity Experience Questionnaire and Oral Health Impact Profile being the most frequently used. DH was most frequently diagnosed using evaporative stimulation, with pain intensity commonly assessed using visual analogue scales or Schiff score. Considerable heterogeneity was observed in OHRQoL questionnaires and diagnostic methods across studies.

CONCLUSIONS

This review shows a need for standardisation in DH studies in terms of OHRQoL questionnaires and diagnosis tools; such standardisation would allow comparisons between DH studies, as DH is of particular interest nowadays with an increasing number of surveys (prevention, diagnosis, management, quality of life).

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: DH substantially affects patients' daily activities and well-being. Understanding how OHRQoL questionnaires are used in DH research may help clinicians and researchers select appropriate patient-reported outcome measures and improve treatment effectiveness and patient-centred care evaluation in clinical practice.