Fissure Sealants: The Susceptibility to Dissolution of Acid-Etched and Subsequently Abraded Enamel in vitro

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Abstract
Since the enamel surface is etched with an acid solution prior to the application of a fissure sealant, eventual loss of material may expose a surface more susceptible to caries. The purpose of this in vitro study was to assess the susceptibility to dissolution of enamel surfaces which had been (1) acid-etched, (2) etched and exposed to saliva and (3) sealed and then abraded to remove the sealant. Microsolubility studies were carried out to compare dissolution rates of the above surfaces with adjacent sound enamel controls. Results show that acid-etched enamel surfaces have higher solubility rates than sound enamel. However, after a 24-hour exposure of etched surfaces to whole saliva, remineralization brought about a significant reduction in solubility rate, such as to approach the level for sound enamel. After removal of sealant from the enamel surface, the remaining surface was still less soluble than adjacent sound enamel. This must be related to the retention of tags of sealant which penetrate deep into the enamel surface, remaining after grinding off the sealant.

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