Dentinal Hypersensitivity: pre-hybridization as an alternative

Dentinal hypersensitivity may occur after the dentine exposure because of indirect restoration preparations. Either to avoid or decrease postoperative discomfort, dentinal adhesives have been used to protect the exposed dentine. This technique is called pre-hybridization. Notwithstanding, despite of the clinical use, there still exist controversies on its efficacy and the most adequate material and protocol to execute it. Objective:This review study aimed to discuss the concepts involving the pre-hybridization based on the most important papers published from 2002 to date, indexed at the following databases: SciELO, MEDLINE and Pubmed. Methods: The following keywords were applied in the searching: pre-hybridization, tooth hypersensitivity and their possibilities (e.g.: dentinal pre-hybridization, dentinal hypersensitivity, hypersensitivity treatment). Only review and original research studies were selected. Efforts to identify comparative, controlled clinical studies as well as meta-analysis studies on hypersensitivity and dentinal pre-hybridization were made. Results: Based on the review conducted, it was possible to highlight that the self-conditioning adhesives have been the first choice for pre-hybridization procedures. Conclusion: However, the literature still lacks on determining a consolidated protocol and the clinical effectiveness of this procedure.