In vitro evaluation of fissure sealants’ wear under erosive, abrasive and erosive/abrasive conditions

PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare the wear of selected resin-based fissure sealants with different compositions properties under erosive, abrasive, and erosive/abrasive conditions. METHODS: Forty-five samples of the following resin-based fissure sealants were prepared: Fissurit (fluoride free), Fissurit F (with fluoride), Fissurit FX (55 wt.% filler content), Grandio Seal (70 wt.% nano-filler content) and bovine enamel. Fifteen samples from each material were randomly allocated into three groups according to the wear condition they would be subjected to as follows: erosive condition (citric acid, 1 min, pH 2.3), abrasive condition (120 brushing strokes at 2 N, toothpaste slurry RDA value = 69), and erosive/abrasive condition (combination of both). The wear challenges were repeated six times each day for 10 days. The material wear was measured using a stylus profilometer. Kruskal–Wallis and Conover’s test was applied to compare the resulting material wear between the groups. RESULTS: Under erosive conditions, Grandio Seal and Fissurit FX showed statistically significantly the least material wear. Under abrasive and erosive/abrasive conditions, Grandio Seal showed statistically significantly the least material wear. Fissurit F showed statistically significantly the highest material wear under abrasive and erosive/abrasive conditions, after dental enamel (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Higher filler content in sealants leads to better wear resistance. Incorporating fluoride into sealants seems to reduce their wear resistance at similar filler contents.