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
. 2019 Jul 16;19(1):156.
doi: 10.1186/s12903-019-0846-x.

The anticaries effects of pit and fissure sealant in the first permanent molars of school-age children from Guangzhou: a population-based cohort study

Weijia Liu  1 , Lihua Xiong  1 , Jianbo Li  2 , Chongshan Guo  1 , Weihua Fan  2 , Shaohong Huang  3
Affiliations

The anticaries effects of pit and fissure sealant in the first permanent molars of school-age children from Guangzhou: a population-based cohort study

Weijia Liu et al. BMC Oral Health. .

Abstract

Background: Analyses of the effects of pit and fissure sealant have been based on small samples and lack large-scale field evaluation data in China. The aim of this study was to understand the effect of pit and fissure sealant in preventing caries in the first permanent molars (FPMs) of children in Guangzhou.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study using the database of the pit and fissure sealant program of Guangzhou. The carious status and sealant retention of the FPMs were assessed in 4,822 school children who received pit and fissure sealant 3 years prior to the study. The control group included 4,396 children who had indications for receiving pit and fissure sealant but were not treated and were matched according to sex, age and school.

Results: In the sealant group, the rate of sealant retention in the FPMs was 72.2%. Children in the sealant group had a 37% decreased risk of dental caries compared with the control group (adjusted HR = 0.63 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.57-0.69], P < 0.001). Compared to no sealant use, the use of pit and fissure sealants reduced the risk of developing dental caries by 44% after 3 years in the FPMs of children from rural areas, reflecting a greater reduction than that among urban children (35%) during the same period (urban: adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.65 [95% CI, 0.58-0.72]; rural: adjusted HR = 0.56 [95% CI, 0.45-0.70], P < 0.001). The mean number of decayed, missing, or filled permanent teeth (DMFT) in the control group was higher than that in the sealant group, and the difference was statistically significant regardless of sex.

Conclusions: Pit and fissure sealant has a significant preventive effect against dental caries in the FPMs, especially for children in rural areas; thus, this sealant represents an effective technique for preventing and controlling dental caries.

Keywords: Cumulative incidence of caries; Dental caries; Pit and fissure sealant.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Participant selection flowchart
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zhang JZ. Oral Medicine[M] Beijing: People’s Health Press; 1995. p. 41.
    1. Splieth C, Förster M, Meyer G. Additional caries protection by sealing permanent first molars compared to fluoride varnish applications in children with low caries prevalence: 2-year results. Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2001;2(3):133–138.
    1. Dye BA, Li X, Thornton-Evans G. Oral health disparities as determined by selected Healthy People 2020 oral health objectives for the United States, 2009–2010. NCHS Data Brief. 2012;(104):1–8. - PubMed
    1. Locker D. Deprivation and oral health: a review. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2000;28(3):161–169. doi: 10.1034/j.1600-0528.2000.280301.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Watt RG, Listl S, Peres M, Heilmann A. Social inequalities in oral health: from evidence to action. International Centre for Oral Health Inequalities Research and Policy [Accessed 3 Aug 2017]. http://media.news.health.ufl.edu/misc/cod-oralhealth/docs/posts_frontpag....

Publication types

Substances