A 5-year clinical evaluation of the effectiveness of a fissure sealant in mentally retarded Canadian children

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Abstract
The occlusal fissures of 812 permanent and primary posterior teeth were sealed with an UV polymerizable 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 yr, 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 premolars. 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%. There was still a highly significant effect of a single application of the fissure sealant after 5 yr. Simple cost benefit calculations indicate that the technique is not suitable as a public health measure, but has merit for mentally retarded persons and in private practice situations.

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