3-year survival rates of retained composite resin and ART sealants using two assessment criteria

Abstract

The aim was to test the null-hypothesis that there is nodifference in the cumulative survival rate of retained composite resin(CR) sealants and a high-viscosity glass-ionomer Atraumatic RestorativeTreatment (ART) sealant in first permanent molars calculated accordingto the traditional and the modified retention assessment criteria overa period of 3 years. This cluster-randomized controlled clinical trialconsisted of 123 schoolchildren, 6–7-years-old. At baseline, high-cariesrisk pits and fissures of fully erupted first permanent molars weretreated with CR and ART sealants. Evaluations were performed after0.5, 1, 2 and 3 years. Retention was scored for free-smooth surface andfor each of three sections into which the occlusal surface had beendivided. The modified criterion differed from the traditional in that itdetermined an occlusal sealant to be a failure when at least one sectioncontained no visible sealant material. Data were analysed accordingto the PHREG model with frailty correction, Wald-test, ANOVA andt-test, using the Jackknife procedure. The cumulative survival rates forretained CR and ART sealants in free-smooth and occlusal surfacesfor both criteria were not statistically significantly different overthe 3 years. A higher percentage of retained CR sealants on occlusalsurfaces was observed at longer evaluations. Cumulative survivalrates were statistically significantly lower for the modified criterionin comparison to the traditional. The modified retention assessmentcriterion should be used in future sealant-retention studies