Abstract: Abstract： Objective To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of dentine hypersensitivity of rural adults in Ji’ning City, Shandong Province, and to provide the basis for diagnosing, preventing and treating the disease. Methods 1200 adults from the rural areas of Ji’ning were selected by multi-stage, stratified and random sampling. The dentine hypersensitivity of all samples was surveyed with questionnaires and on-the-spot oral examinations. SPSS 13.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results According to the questionnaires, 43.25% of the rural adults in Ji’ning City suffered from dentine hypersensitivity, while according to on-the-spot oral examinations, 35.68% of all suffered from dentine hypersensitivity. The prevalence rate of females was higher than of males（P＜0.01）. Cold was the most common stimulus for dentine hypersensitivity (63.97%). Females, high frequency of eating pancakes, horizontal tooth-brushing, and acid regurgitation symptoms were probably the risk factors of dentine hypersensitivity. The premolar was the most commonly affected tooth by dentine hypersensitivity, followed by the first molar. The high-incidence age group of dentine hypersensitivity was 50-59 years old. The most common affected tooth surface was collum dentis, and 82.44% sufferers had gingival attachment loss. Conclusion The dentine hypersensitivity of rural adults in Ji’ning City is widespread. Therefore, the prevention and treatment for dentine hypersensitivity should be more promoted by dental professionals.

Key words: [Key words] dentine hypersensitivity, rural, epidemiology, risk factor