OBJETIVO: Avaliar o impacto do custo dos produtos de higiene oral em Teresina, Piaúi sobre a o salário mínimo brasileiro ao longo de dois anos de observação. MÉTODOS: Doze estabelecimentos comerciais nas zonas geográficas do município foram visitados em quarto meses consecutivos em 2011 e 2013 para coletar o preço de escovas dentais, dentifrícios, fios dentais e antissépticos bucais de diferentes marcas. Para o cálculo do consumo mensal, considerou-se que os produtos foram consumidos em quantidade ideal para o uso. Para o impacto do custo dos itens, o salário mínimo brasileiro na época do estudo foi usado como parâmetro. RESULTADOS: O custo mensal médio por indivíduo seria de R$17,93 em 2011 (2,88% do salário mínimo) e R$24,92 em 2013 (3,67% do salário mínimo). CONCLUSÃO: Houve aumento de 38,9% no preço dos produtos e o impacto sobre o SM aumentou em 27,43% no período do estudo. Os cirurgiões-dentistas devem estar bem informados sobre o custo desses produtos ao prescrevê-los a seus pacientes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the cost of oral hygiene products in Teresina, Piauí, on the Brazilian minimum salary (MS) over the period of two years. METHODS: The writer of this study visited 12 businesses from five geographical areas of the city during four consecutive months in 2011 and 2013 to collect the prices of toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss and mouth rinse solutions of different brands. The prices were used to calculate the monthly expense that one individual would have if they consumed the ideal quantity of the products, as recommended by the dental literature. Brazil's MS at the time of the study was used as a parameter to calculate the impact of the cost of the items on the family budget. RESULTS: The mean monthly cost per individual was R$ 17.93 in 2011 (2.88% of the MS) and R$ 24.92 in 2013 (3.67% of the MS). There was an increase of 38.9 % in the mean price of products and the impact on the MS increased by 27.43 % during the study period. CONCLUSION: The impact of the cost of the oral care items was high on the Brazilian MS for the studied region. Dentists should be aware that the cost of these products can be an obstacle for their patients.

This study aims to compare the in vivo effect of a desensitizing therapy associated with a restorative technique for the treatment of cervical dentin hypersensitivity (CDH) in non-carious lesions. The sample consisted of 68 teeth with moderate or severe dentin hypersensitivity in 17 individuals (one tooth per quadrant). The sensitivity levels of the teeth were scored, and the teeth were randomly distributed into four groups: T1 – desensitizing gel applied once per week until remission of pain; T2 – desensitizing gel applied once per week followed immediately by restoration with resin composite (Filtek Z250, 3M Espe); T3 – desensitizing gel once per week until remission of pain and then restoration with resin composite; and T4 - restoration with resin composite. Dentin hypersensitivity was assessed at 0, 7, 30, 90 and 180 days. The Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney (p< 0.05) tests were used to compare the treatments. The mean baseline CDH scores were T1 - 2.41, T2 - 2.41, T3 - 2.47, and T4 - 2.70 (p > 0.05). At seven and 180 days, the mean CDH scores were as follows: T1 - 1.47/0.65, T2 - 1.35/0.71, T3 - 0.71/0.53, and T4 - 1.12/0.59, all of which were significantly lower (p< 0.001) than the baseline scores. The scores at 30, 90 and 180 days were not significantly different when compared to the score of the previous period. At 180 days, CDH scores were similar among groups (p> 0.05). Teeth with moderate or severe hypersensitivity that required a filling responded similarly regardless of whether the desensitizing procedure was carried out prior to the filling.