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A 5‐year clinical evaluation of the effectiveness of a fissure sealant in mentally retarded Canadian children
Author(s) -
Richardson Beverly A.,
Smith Dennis C.,
Hargreaves J. Anthony
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0528.1981.tb01049.x
Subject(s) - sealant , medicine , mentally retarded , dentistry , molar , fissure , posterior teeth , private practice , orthodontics , archaeology , psychology , developmental psychology , chemistry , organic chemistry , family medicine , history
The occlusal fissures of 812 permanent and primary posterior teeth were sealed with an ultraviolet polymerisable resin. A half mouth technique was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the sealant in the prevention of fissure caries. At the end of 5 years 19.3% of 409 teeth in 103 children had the sealant completely intact and fissures were partially sealed in 20.8%. Retention was greatest in the mandibular pre‐molars. The decay rate was less than half in the treated teeth compared to the control teeth. The net gain was 62 teeth and the percent effectiveness was 57.9%. Thus there was still a highly significant effect of a single application of the fissure sealant after 5 years. Simple cost benefit calculations indicate that the technique is not suitable as a public health measure but has merit for menially retarded persons and in private practice situations.