Importance of variables affecting pit and fissure sealant use in the United Kingdom.

A mail survey of 1000 dentists representing the general population of practising dentists in Great Britain and Northern Ireland was conducted to identify those factors most predictive of sealant use. The response rate obtained was 73.7%. The mean percentage of patients aged 18 and under receiving sealants was 13.4 (SD 20.7). For both respondents who had received sealant training in dental school and those who had not, the three variable groupings having the strongest correlation with levels of sealant use were preventive orientation, opinion about sealants, and patient influence. Multiple regression analyses reflected these simple correlations. For both sealant educated respondents (R2 = 39%) and respondents without sealant education (R2 = 49%), the best combination of variables predicting sealant use were preventive orientation, opinion about sealants, and patient influence.