Clinical progress of sealed and unsealed caries. Part I: Depth changes and bacterial counts.

1. A method for measuring depth changes in carious lesions has been developed. 2. A method for estimating bacterial viability in the study lesions has been developed. 3. Sealed cavities showed little or no change in depth over a 1-year period. 4. Open lesions showed a significant increase in depth as compared to sealed lesions. 5. Elimination or marked decrease in viable organisms under the sealant occurred.