Retention of dental sealants placed on sound teeth and incipient caries lesions as part of a service-learning programme in rural areas in Mexico.
BACKGROUND
Dental sealants are an effective treatment for the prevention and management of caries.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the retention of sealants placed in a rural setting in Mexico as part of an international service-learning (ISL) programme and to determine associations between dental sealant's retention and caries diagnosis at the time of sealant placement.


METHODS
Children aged 6-15 were examined for dental caries, received sealants by dental students as part of an ISL programme, and were re-examined 4, 2, or 1 years after placement to assess sealant survival. Sealants were placed on permanent sound surfaces and enamel caries lesions [International Caries Assessment and Detection System (ICDAS) criteria]. Sealant survival was explored using Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests and multivariate prediction models.


RESULTS
219 (46%) of 478 (mean age = 10.53 SD = 5.11) children who had received sealants returned for a recall examination (mean age = 10.89 SD = 3.11). After 1-4 years, 96.4% to 60.6% of the sealants placed on sound teeth had survived, and for sealants placed on surfaces with enamel caries lesions (ICDAS 1-3), 94.2% to 55.6% had survived. Differences were not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Sealants had survival rates comparable to those previously reported in the literature. Sealants placed on sound and enamel caries lesions had similar survival rates.
Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, Indiana University School of Dentistry, Indianapolis, IN, USA. arsoto@iupui.edu
Armando E
AE
Soto-Rojas
Mauricio
M
Escoffié-Ramírez
Gloriana
G
Pérez-Ferrera
Joseph A
JA
Guido
Andres A
AA
Mantilla-Rodriguez
Esperanza A
EA
Martinez-Mier
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003149:Community Dentistry / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004245:DMF Index; D019140:Dental Care for Children; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011313:Preventive Dentistry / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population; D013335:Students, Dental; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants