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wo of five young Indonesians experience sensitive teeth, a periodontist said.

Yuniarti Soeroso of the Association of Indonesian Dentists in Semarang said this type of toothache was common in Indonesia.

“Sensitive teeth are a clinical disorder commonly suffered in the form of strong pain on [exposed] tooth dentin when receiving hot and cold stimulus, or sour and sweet chemical contents in food and drink,” she said.

She said teeth became sensitive because the dentin was opened due to attrition or loss of tooth structure as a result of friction between teeth or a habit of teeth grinding or chin closing.

Other factors causing tooth sensitivity include tooth erosion due to chemical damage on the enamel layer because of acid in food and drink or gastric acid reflux.

Yuniarti said studies revealed that sensitive teeth were often suffered by youths and people having gum recession or receiving dental treatment. “Ironically, more than 50 percent of them do not go to see a dentist and prefer to hold back the pain,” said Yuniarti, adding that young adults tended to ignore the health of their teeth.