Fissure sealants and preventative resin restorations Flashcards
What is a fissure sealant?
A material that is placed in the pits and fissures of teeth in order to prevent the development of dental caries
What are the uses of fissure sealants?
Primary prevention of caries
Secondary prevention to inhibit the progression of non cavitated carious lesions
Why are fissure sealents used what are their advantages?
- Fissure sealants are effective at preventing decay
- Pits and fissures account for 12.5% of tooth surface
66% of carious lesions develop in the pits and fissures
What did the cochrane library find in regards to fissure sealants?
Found fissure sealants reduce the decay rate by 51%
How many studies did the cochrane library carry out when loooking at fissure sealants?
Included 38 studies and 7924 participants between age 5-16 yrs
Who get fissure sealants?
All children at high risk of dental caries
Which teeth do we usually place fissure sealants on?
Permanent molars
Susceptible sites of permanent teeth
List some patent factors we consider when choosing patients who may need fissure sealants
- Caries in primary teeth
- Caries in other permanent molar
- Does the patient have nay underlying medical physical ot emotional problems
- Risk factors
List some tooth factors we consider when choosing patients who may need fissure sealants
- Depth of fissures
- Hypomineralisation
- Hypoplasia
- Inaccessible areas that are hard to clean
List the steps we carry out when placing a fissure sealant
- Clean the pit and fissures
- Isolate the tooth
- Etch, wash and dry
(4. Apply a bonding agent) - Apply sealant
- Evaluate
Why do you need to isolate the tooth when carrying out a fissure sealant?
To achieve moisture control
Why is using a bonding agent when placing a fissure sealant a debated topic?
As some say it will make sure the fissure sealant seal better
BUT
It introduces another step and requires the child to sit still for longer
What does the cochrane library say about bonding fissure sealant?
Etching and bonding doesn’t statically improve retention of fissure sealants
What do we use to place our fissure sealant?
Use a microbrush
How do we evaluate our fissure sealant?
Can use a small spoon excavator to check for overhang and check sealing of the sealant