Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Dec 11;5(4):34.
doi: 10.3390/dj5040034.

The Use of Pit and Fissure Sealants-A Literature Review

Reem Naaman  1 , Azza A El-Housseiny  2   3 , Najlaa Alamoudi  4
Affiliations
Review

The Use of Pit and Fissure Sealants-A Literature Review

Reem Naaman et al. Dent J (Basel). .

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature and discusses the latest updates on the use of pit and fissure sealants. It demonstrates the effectiveness of pit and fissure sealants in preventing caries and the management of early carious lesions. It compares the use of different sealant materials and their indications. It describes the application technique for sealants. It also reviews the cost-effectiveness of sealants as a preventive strategy. 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. It is therefore recommended that pit and fissure sealant be applied to high-caries-risk children for optimum cost-effectiveness. It is a highly sensitive technique that needs optimum isolation, cleaning of the tooth surface, etching, and the application of a thin bonding layer for maximum benefit. Recall and repair, when needed, are important to maximize the effectiveness of such sealant use.

Keywords: caries prevention; pit and fissure sealants; resin-based sealants.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Classification of sealant materials.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Young D.A., Novy B.B., Zeller G.G., Hale R., Hart T.C., Truelove E.L. The American Dental Association Caries Classification System for clinical practice: A report of the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs. J. Am. Dent. Assoc. 2015;146:79–86. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2014.11.018. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dye B.A., Tan S., Smith V., Lewis B.G., Barker L.K., Thornton-Evans G., Eke P.I., Beltran-Aguilar E.D., Horowitz A.M., Li C.H. Trends in oral health status: United States, 1988–1994 and 1999–2004. Vital Health Stat. 2007;11:1–92. - PubMed
    1. Dye B.A., Thornton-Evans G., Li X., Iafolla T.J. Dental caries and sealant prevalence in children and adolescents in the United States, 2011–2012. NCHS Data Br. 2015;191:1–8. - PubMed
    1. Macek M.D., Beltran-Aguilar E.D., Lockwood S.A., Malvitz D.M. Updated comparison of the caries susceptibility of various morphological types of permanent teeth. J. Public Health Dent. 2003;63:174–182. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2003.tb03496.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wright J.T., Crall J.J., Fontana M., Gillette E.J., Novy B.B., Dhar V., Donly K., Hewlett E.R., Quinonez R.B., Chaffin J., et al. Evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the use of pit-and-fissure sealants: A report of the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. J. Am. Dent. Assoc. 2016;147:672–682. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2016.06.001. - DOI - PubMed