Prevention of teeth caries through fissure sealing

Abstract

Summary. Carious infections of the teeth are considered a major worldwide concern, resulting in significant health, safety, and quality-of-life issues for those patients who suffer from these infections. Routine oral hygiene along with fluoride use helps prevent dental caries. Another prophylactic measure against decay taken with packing the pits and fissures of tooth that tends to get caries. The aim of the study – to present a general overview of pit-and-fissure sealants, which are usually used for sealing occlusal surfaces, their types, classifications, Materials and Methods. Systematic reviews and meta-analysis, literature reviews, randomized controlled trials were included in the review. Relevant articles were retrieved from PubMed database using the following keywords either alone or in combination: "caries prevention", "dental sealants", "pit-and-fissure sealants". Results. Sealants act as physical barriers that isolate the coated areas of the teeth from the oral cavity, thereby preventing the accumulation of plaque and the initiation or progression of caries in the enamel pits and fissures. Sealant for pits and fissures is an effective means of preventing pit-fissure caries of primary and permanent teeth. Dentists should therefore be encouraged to use pit and fissure sealants in conjunction with other preventive measures in patients at high risk of caries. The choice of filling material depends on the patient's age, the child's behavior and the time of teething. Also, sealants can minimize the progression of non-cavitated occlusal carious lesions (also known as primary lesions) that receive a sealant. Conclusions. From this review and after the discussion of recently published studies on pit and fissure sealants, it is evident that sealants are effective in caries prevention and in preventing the progression of incipient lesions. These recommendations are designed to inform practitioners during the clinical decision-making process in relation to the prevention of carious lesions in children and adolescents

Keywords

• caries
• fissures
• caries prevention
• pit-and-fissure sealants
• resin-based sealant
• glass ionomer sealant