Fissure sealants are a recommended procedure for the prevention of occlusal caries in permanent molars. The aim of this review was to assess the clinical retention of pit and fissure sealants in relation to observation time and material type.

The authors searched the Embase, Medline and CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials)  databases for studies that included information sealant retention, with a minimum observation time of two years.

The studies were analyzed to determine the retention rates of the various materials studied (UV-light-, light- and auto-polymerizing resin-based sealants, fluoride-releasing materials, compomers, flowable composites and glass-ionomer-cement-based sealants). A meta-analysus was conducted using a random effects model for longitudinal logistic regression and Bayesian statistics.

They included  98 clinical reports and 12 field trial reports. 49 studies  used a randomized procedure for allocating  teeth with a certain material.

They found  that  Auto-polymerizing sealants had the longest observation time (up to 20years) with 5-year retention rates as shown in the table

[table id=13 /]

In contrast to these high retention rates, poor retention rates were documented for UV-light-polymerizing materials, compomers and glass-ionomer-cement-based sealants (5-year retention rates were <19.3%). Retention rates for UV-light-polymerizing materials, compomers and glass-ionomer-cement-based sealants were classified as inferior.

The authors concluded

The results of this meta-analysis suggested that resin-based sealants can be recommended for clinical use. The faster and less error-prone clinical application of light-polymerizing materials, however, makes them the preferred choice for daily dental practice.

Kühnisch J, Mansmann U, Heinrich-Weltzien R, Hickel R. Longevity of materials for pit and fissure sealing-Results from a meta-analysis. Dent Mater. 2011 Dec 2. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 22137936.

 

Related review

Ahovuo-Saloranta A, Hiiri A, Nordblad A, Mäkelä M, Worthington HV. Pit and fissure sealants for preventing dental decay in the permanent teeth of children and adolescents. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD001830. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001830.pub3.