Journal of Dental Research, Vol 56, 1511-1519, Copyright © 1977 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Sealant effectiveness for children receiving a combination of preventive methods in a fluoridated community: two-year results
R. A. Bagramian, R. C. Graves and S. Srivastava
A series of preventive methods in combination have been used to reduce
dental caries in children including dental health education, prophylaxes,
pit and fissure sealants, topical application of fluoride and restorative
care. Prophylaxes, sealant, and fluoride procedures are repeated every six
months. Two-year results show reductions of occlusal caries increments of
74.3% for first graders and 77.1% for sixth graders. Sealant loss, as
defined in this study, varied from 33% to 90% with the highest loss
occurring in the newly erupted permanent molars during the first six months
of the project. These high sealant loss rates are thought to be related to
the age of the population which was designed to include children at the
ages of peak eruption of permanent molar teeth (ages six and twelve). These
teeth were often only minimally erupted and maintaining the dry field
required for sealant retention was extremely difficult. However, in spite
of these high rates of sealant loss, caries reduction on occlusal surfaces
was highly significant in comparision to that of children who did not
receive sealants.
