Retention and Caries Development after Pit and Fissure Sealant Placement among 6-14 Years Old School Children from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation - Cohort Study

Aim: To check for the retention of sealants and caries experience of the teeth after 9 months.

Methods: An interventional study was planned for the children of Government school in Pimpri, Pune, aged 6-14 years, where a total of 290 occlusal surfaces of molar teeth were selected to place GIC pit and fissure sealant. The oral screening was done to rule out children with carious and unerupted or children who didn’t need any sealant placement. The remaining were selected for placement of pit and fissure sealant.

Results: At the end of the 9th month, the total retention rate was 67.93%. There was also a slight increase in caries experience in 8 children with dislodged sealants but the extent was not severe.

Discussion: The pit and fissure sealants procedure are one of the widely accepted preventive treatments since the 1970s. The effectiveness of pit and fissure is allied with how long the sealants stay over the tooth surfaces and the degree of their presence. The GIC sealants though having the advantage of fluoride release after placement also have the disadvantage of difficulty in handling limiting their adoption and use.

Conclusion: At the follow-up visit in the 9th month it was seen that the retention rate of sealant was 67.93%. Sealants were dislodged from the pit and fissures but remnants of sealants were present on the tooth which could have provided protection to the tooth from caries due to the fluoride-releasing property of GIC.