Retention and effectiveness of pit and fissure sealants placed with or without bonding agent in young permanent teeth: A randomized clinical trial with a year follow-up

Abstract

Background and Aims:The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of pit and fissure sealants (PFS) placed on young permanent teeth with or without the application of the bonding agent. Methods:Atotal of 100 permanent first molars from 25 children between 6-9 years of age were included and randomly allocated into 2 groups. In group A, the teeth received sealant with the bonding agent, and in group B, without a bonding agent. All the sealed teeth were evaluated for retention of the sealant at regular intervals of 3, 6, and 12 months. The difference in the retention rate with and without bonding was analyzed using Chi-square test. Results:After 12 months, the clinically acceptable retention rates for PFS placed with and without bonding agent were 80% and 72%, respectively. No statistically significant difference was observed in relation to marginal integrity, marginal discoloration, and anatomic form among the PFS placed with and without bonding agent (P > 0.05). Conclusions:Sealant application with bonding agent showed an increased retention rate than without the use of a bonding agent. However, an additional step of bonding may be excluded in children, as it did not show any statistically significant difference in clinical retention rate compared to PFS application without bonding.