A randomized control clinical trial of fissure sealant retention: Self etch adhesive versus total etch adhesive

CONTEXT: There are limited studies on comparison of Total etch (TE) and Self etch (SE) adhesive for placement of sealants. AIMS: The aim of the study was to compare the retention of fissure sealants placed using TE adhesive to those sealants placed using SE (seventh generation) adhesive. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The study was conducted in the dental section, Aga Khan University Hospital. This study was a randomized single blinded trial with a split mouth design. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 37 patients, 101 teeth were included in both study groups. The intervention arm was treated with SE Adhesive (Adper Easy One, 3M ESPE, US). Control arm received TE adhesive (Adper Single Bond 2, 3M ESPE, US) before sealant application. The patients were followed after 6 months for assessment of sealant retention. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Interexaminer agreement for outcome assessment was assessed by Kappa Statistics and outcome in intervention group was assessed by McNemar's test. RESULTS: Ninety-one pairs of molar (90%) were reevaluated for sealant retention. Complete retention was 56% in TE arm and 28% in SE arm with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.7. CONCLUSIONS: Sealants applied with TE adhesives show higher rate of complete sealant retention than SE adhesive.