Evaluation of resin-based fissure sealants placed under field conditions
type: CreativeWork
description: BACKGROUND: The application of dental sealants is a recommended procedure to prevent and control dental caries. However, despite strong evidence for the safety and effectiveness of dental sealants, their use still remains low, especially among children from lower socioeconomic communities. The World Health Organization (WHO), Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) strongly endorse the implementation of school based dental sealant programmes as a community-based preventive strategy to increase sealant use and reduce dental caries. However, in the WHO African Region, oral health is seen as a very low priority and this is compounded by limited technical and managerial resources. The availability of human resources and equipment are crucial for the successful placement of dental sealants. A gap in the research literature was identified for determining the effectiveness of fissure sealants placed under field conditions. AIM: To evaluate the caries preventive effect as well as retention status of a resin-based fissure sealant that was placed under field conditions as part of a school based sealant programme. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at two primary schools in close proximity of each other in the same low socio-economic area in Beaufort West, South Africa. The study population consisted of grade two children between the ages of 7-9 years who had fully erupted first permanent molar teeth. The case group consisted of 100 learners who received dental sealants on caries-free first permanent molar teeth 12 months earlier. The control group consisted of a random selection of the same number of learners from the adjacent school. Dental caries on the occlusal surfaces of the first permanent molar teeth was detected by making use of the decayed (D) portion of the decayed, missing and filled tooth (DMFT) score, while a separate diagnosis distinguished between cavitate…
abstract: BACKGROUND: The application of dental sealants is a recommended procedure to prevent and control dental caries. However, despite strong evidence for the safety and effectiveness of dental sealants, their use still remains low, especially among children from lower socioeconomic communities. The World Health Organization (WHO), Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) strongly endorse the implementation of school based dental sealant programmes as a community-based preventive strategy to increase sealant use and reduce dental caries. However, in the WHO African Region, oral health is seen as a very low priority and this is compounded by limited technical and managerial resources. The availability of human resources and equipment are crucial for the successful placement of dental sealants. A gap in the research literature was identified for determining the effectiveness of fissure sealants placed under field conditions. AIM: To evaluate the caries preventive effect as well as retention status of a resin-based fissure sealant that was placed under field conditions as part of a school based sealant programme. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at two primary schools in close proximity of each other in the same low socio-economic area in Beaufort West, South Africa. The study population consisted of grade two children between the ages of 7-9 years who had fully erupted first permanent molar teeth. The case group consisted of 100 learners who received dental sealants on caries-free first permanent molar teeth 12 months earlier. The control group consisted of a random selection of the same number of learners from the adjacent school. Dental caries on the occlusal surfaces of the first permanent molar teeth was detected by making use of the decayed (D) portion of the decayed, missing and filled tooth (DMFT) score, while a separate diagnosis distinguished between cavitate…
author: Potgieter, Carl Edzard
keywords: Fissure sealants, Dental caries, Resin-based fissure sealants, Beaufort West (South Africa), School-based fissure sealant programmes (SBFSP)
license: https://uwcscholar.uwc.ac.za/bitstreams/c291923e-be05-42b9-819e-28f44d5cd7ce/download
date published: 2015
date modified: 2026-07-24T06:00:54Z
provider: University of the Western Cape
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of the Western Cape