Along with caries dentine hypersensitivity is a frequent ailment, which makes patients see the dentist. They are forced to do it because of sharp, shooting pain of mild or moderate intensity, which appears as a result of thermal, chemical, dehydrative, osmotic or mechanical stimuli. The study is based on the latest literature and it presents the causes and diagnostics of dentine hypersensitivity. The ailment has a multi-factor aetiology. Patients suffering from periodontal diseases are particularly predisposed to dentine hypersensitivity. The diagnostics of the ailment uses both the patient’s subjective feelings in response to stimuli and clinical examination with the application of objective methods. In order to develop a full therapy plan it is necessary to make an appropriate diagnosis and specify aetiological factors.

Key words: hypersensitivity, etiology, tooth pain, pain diagnosis.