Comparative Efficacy of Cow Milk, KNO3, and Warm Saline Rinses in Treating Dentin Hypersensitivity Following Nonsurgical Periodontal Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Aim: This study aimed to assess the desensitizing efficacy of commercially available cow milk compared to potassium nitrate (KNO(3)) mouthwash and warm saline rinses after nonsurgical periodontal treatment. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Department of Public Health Dentistry of a dental college from August 21, 2018 to September 10, 2018. A total of 75 patients who reported hypersensitivity after scaling and root planing (SRP) were recruited and randomly assigned into three groups: cow milk (I), KNO(3) mouthwash (II), and warm saline rinses (III). Dentine hypersensitivity (DH) was assessed at six time points using the verbal rating scale (VRS) for thermal stimuli and visual analog scale (VAS) for air blast and thermal stimuli. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Mean reduction in DH in each group was measured using non-parametric tests. Results: Patients in all the three groups were found to be comparable with respect to baseline characteristics. Mean reduction in VRS and VAS scores for DH in milk and KNO(3) mouthwash was found to be significantly high as compared to warm saline rinses group. Conclusion: From the results, cow milk was found to be equivalent in efficacy as compared with KNO(3) mouthwash but superior to warm saline rinses in treating DH post-SRP.