Glass ionomer as fissure sealant--a critical review.

This paper presents a review of the literature on glass ionomer cements used as fissure sealants. An objective assessment of the presently available scientific literature on the use of glass ionomer materials as pit and fissure sealants is not encouraging in terms of retention, but appears somewhat more positive for caries prevention. At the time of this writing, the published literature indicates that retention for resin-based sealants is better than for glass ionomer sealants, but differences in caries prevention remain equivocal. Future research should concentrate on assessing the effects of fluoride-releasing, resin-modified, glass ionomer materials.