title: A 1-year clinical evaluation of fissure sealants on permanent first molars.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate and compare the retention, marginal discoloration, surface texture and anatomical form of pit and fissure sealants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty children between the ages of 6 and 10 years, who were attending the school health program regularly, had participated in the study. A split-mouth design was used in which the two fissure sealants (Helioseal-F and Glass ionomer Fuji VII) were randomly placed in 60 matched contralateral pairs of permanent molar teeth. Sealants were rated by a single trained and calibrated examiner using mouth mirrors and probes following the US Public Health Service criteria. The sealants were evaluated at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The data obtained for retention, marginal discoloration, surface texture and anatomical form of pit and fissure sealants were tabulated and compared statistically using the Chi-square test of significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Helioseal-F sealant was better than the Glass ionomer Fuji VII sealant with respect to retention, anatomical form and surface texture. Both the materials showed similar results with respect to marginal discoloration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, VSPM Dental College and Research Centre, Hingna, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Nupur
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ninawe
authors.forename: Nayak Anand
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Ullal
authors.forename: Vishal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Khandelwal