The Efficacy of Different Sealant Modalities for Prevention of Pits and Fissures Caries: A Randomized Clinical Trial

OBJECTIVES: This clinical trial evaluates the efficacy of different pit and fissure sealant modalities as a caries prevention tool. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four children aged 6–8 years with completely erupted first permanent molars participated in sealant placement randomized clinical trial. Split-mouth technique used and each child received four treatment modalities (ICON, Seal It, GCP glass seal, ICON/Seal It combination). Caries progression and sealant retention monitored over a period of 24 months. RESULTS: Seal It and combination modalities had the highest efficacy in the prevention of pits and fissures caries, whereas the ICON had the lowest efficacy. Regarding retention, there were no significant differences among the four modalities during the 1, 3, and 6 months follow-up intervals. However, at 12, 18, and 24 months, the retention of Seal It and combination modalities were better than ICON and better than GCP, but the differences were not statistically significant. In addition, the retention of combination modality was better than Seal It, but the difference was not significant. At the end of the trial, the caries incidence was the highest in ICON group (20 lesions) followed by GCP group (13 lesions), Seal It group (3 lesions) and the lowest observed in combination group (2 lesions). CONCLUSIONS: Both Seal It and combination modalities are highly effective in the prevention of pits and fissures caries, GCP has acceptable effect while the use of ICON alone was not effective. The Seal It and ICON combination improves their clinical efficacy in caries prevention.