A two-year clinical trial comparing the retention of two fissure sealants.

A clinical evaluation of an experimental resin sealant (ICI 209085) was made by comparing it with a previously investigated and well recognized material (Light Cured Tinted Delton). The two materials were bilaterally placed in 117 pairs of teeth (48 premolars and 69 molars) in 60 children aged 6-14 years. The children were re-examined after 6, 12 and 24 months. The overall rates of full retention were 97.4% in teeth sealed with the experimental sealant and 96.6% in those sealed with the control sealant, while the corresponding figures for partial retention were 2.6% and 3.4%. From none of the teeth were the sealants totally lost. No carious lesions developed in the sealed fissures during the trial. It is concluded that the experimental sealant is comparable with the control sealant with respect to retention and caries prevention.