Fissure sealing with a light-cured resin-reinforced glass-ionomer cement (Vitrebond) compared with a resin sealant

Abstract

The aims of the present study were to evaluate the retention and caries-preventive effect of a single application of a light-cured resin-reinforced glass-ionomer cement (Vitrebond) in pits and fissures of newly erupted permanent first and second molars, when compared with a single application of a resin-based sealant (Concise White Sealant) during a 3-year period. The study group comprised 73 pairs of contralateral newly erupted permanent first and second molars (136 fissure sites) in 53 children (29 girls, 24 boys). A split-mouth experimental design was used in which the two sealants were randomly allocated to one of the teeth within each pair. Acid etching was not used before application of the glass-ionomer cement. The sealed teeth were checked for retention and caries after 1, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. The resin-based sealant was almost totally retained after 3 years (97%) and there was no caries in these teeth. The glass-ionomer cement was increasingly lost and could be observed in only 9% of the sealed sites after 3 years. Carious lesions developed in 10 (7.4%) sites (nine teeth, seven children). It was concluded that the resin-based sealant is superior to the glass-ionomer cement in preventing caries, and that the superior retention of the resin probably is an important factor for this.