Effects of sealant and self-etching primer on enamel decalcification. Part I: an in-vitro study.
BACKGROUND
The objective of this study was to compare the resistance to enamel demineralization between self-etching primer (SEP) and conventional sealant in vitro.


METHODS
A total of 120 molar sections were randomly assigned to 3 groups: SEP (Transbond Plus, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif), sealant (Light Bond fluoride-releasing sealant, Reliance Orthodontic Products, Itasca, Ill), or control (no enamel treatment). SEP or sealant was applied following the manufacturer's recommendations. The tooth samples were exposed to rotary brushing for 2 minutes. A 2 x 2-mm window of sound enamel was created by using nail varnish. After 48 or 72 hours of acidic challenge with Ten Cate solution (pH 4.46), the samples were sectioned down to a thickness of 200 microm and stained with rhodomine B dye to evaluate lesions, lesion depths, area of lesions, and total fluorescence by using confocal microscopy. Statistical analyses were performed with 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey-Kramer tests.


RESULTS
The incidence of lesion was 50% in the sealant group and 100% in both the SEP and the control group. The lesion in the sealant group was present only when the sealant integrity was broken. Lesion depth (149.9 +/- 20.5 microm), area (636 +/- 90 x 10(2) microm(2)), and total fluorescence (252 +/- 83 x 10(4)) in the SEP group were similar to those in the controls. Lesion depth (107.6 +/- 45 microm), area (441 +/- 212 x 10(2) microm(2)), and fluorescence (160 +/- 103 x 10(4)) in the sealant group were significantly less than in the SEP and control groups (P <0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that neither sealant completely protects the teeth against enamel decalcification. The application of sealant provided protection in 50% of the samples, whereas the SEP provided no resistance to enamel demineralization. Protection from acid demineralization depends on the integrity of the sealant.
Tanna
Nihar
N
West Virginia University, School of Dentistry, Morgantown, WV 26506-9480, USA.
Kao
Elizabeth
E
Gladwin
Marcia
M
Ngan
Peter W
PW
D000143:Acids; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003188:Composite Resins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001840:Dental Bonding; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000473:pathology*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008422:Materials Testing; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D019279:Resin Cements / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012235:Rhodamines; D013499:Surface Properties; D017001:Tooth Demineralization / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
D000143:Acids; D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D003188:Composite Resins; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; C429652:Reliance Light Bond; D019279:Resin Cements; D012235:Rhodamines; C429625:Transbond Plus Self-Etching Primer; C029773:rhodamine B