Clinical evaluation of giomer- and resin-based fissure sealants on permanent molars affected by molar-incisor hypomineralization: a randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is a common condition among children that significantly increases the risk of caries. The objective of this research was to evaluate the clinical success of giomer- and conventional resin-based sealants applied on first permanent molars (FPMs) affected by MIH. METHODS: One-hundred FPMs with MIH which were indicated for non-invasive fissure sealant were selected in 39 children, aged 6–12 years. Using a split mouth design, the FPMs were randomized into two groups; Group 1. Resin sealant (etch-and-rinse + Conceal F) and Group 2. Giomer sealant (self-etch primer + BeautiSealant). Clinical evaluation was performed using the modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. The Log-rank, Fisher’s exact test and Kaplan–Meier analysis were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: At 12 months, the retention rates in Group 1 and Group 2 were 68% and %8, respectively (p = 0.000). The cumulative survival rates of conventional resin sealants were significantly higher than giomer sealants for all follow-up visits (p < 0.05). In Groups 1 and 2, the distribution of unsuccessful sealants on mandibular vs maxillary FPMs were 32.1% vs 31.8% (p = 0.612) and 91.7% vs 92.3% (p = 0.664), respectively. Although the success rate was higher for teeth with white opacities or lesions with less extension in Group 1, no significant difference was found. The average survival time was found as 10.46 ± 3.21 months in Group 1 and 4.02 ± 4.43 months in Group 2. CONCLUSIONS: The conventional resin-based sealants yielded a better clinical performance over the 12-month evaluation period than the giomer sealants which were applied with self-etch primer. The high failure rate observed in giomer sealants could be explained by the possible deficiency in the etching capacity of self-etch primer on MIH-affected teeth. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04929782. Registered 10 June 2021—Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04929782. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-022-02298-9.