Abstract:

Dentin hypersensitivity is a common oral condition characterized by short, sharp pain arising from exposed dentin in response to external stimuli, significantly impacting patients quality of life. However, its mechanism has long been constrained by the hydrodynamic hypothesis, which fails to adequately explain key clinical phenomena such as rapid pain onset and suboptimal analgesic efficacy. To address this, we innovatively propose an ion conduction mechanism from a electrochemical perspective, redefining dentinal tubules as functional biological nanochannels with ion selectivity and rectification properties. This review systematically revisits the contributions and limitations of traditional theories, while focusing on the theoretical foundation and experimental evidence for the new mechanism. Through high-resolution electrochemical measurements, we confirmed the presence of an asymmetric potential distribution and microampere-level stimulus-evoked currents within dentinal tubules, and established a comprehensive stimulus-current-pain signal transduction model. This validates the superiority of the new mechanism in explaining millisecond-level pain transmission and demonstrates the clinical potential of polycation-based desensitizing materials developed using this approach for precise electrochemical regulation. This approach not only provides a new pathway for addressing dentin hypersensitivity but also promotes a paradigm shift in the field from mere “physical occlusion”to“modulation of the electrical microenvironment”, offering a novel perspective for developing new desensitizing materials.

Key words: dentin hypersensitivity, ion current, dentinal tubules, bioelectrical signal, ion channels