title: A 50-year audit of published peer-reviewed literature on pit and fissure sealants, 1962-2011.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pit and fissure sealants have been used for many decades to prevent the initiation of caries on susceptible tooth surfaces. The purpose of this study was to analyze the peer-reviewed published scientific literature on pit and fissure sealants over the last 50 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  On the PubMed database, all publications on pit and fissure sealants from 1962-2011 were extracted using the search phrase [(pit OR fissure) AND (sealant OR sealants OR adhesive)]. Details of all retrievals were individually entered into SPSS for analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 2829 publications were found. The mean number of authors was 2.73 ± 1.90 (range = 1-23). Although single-authorship was the modal group with 32.1%, it had a sustained decrease from 75.0% for 1962-1971 to 17.6% for 2002-2011. On the contrary, publications with three or more authors increased from 8.3% to 47.3% during the same period. Human studies accounted for 88.6% and clinical trial was 11.9%, followed by reviews at 10.2% and randomized controlled trials at 6.9%. English was the language of reporting for 82.0% of the studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is anticipated that future research on pit and fissure sealants will focus on newer and more effective materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine , Boston, MA , USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: San-Martin
authors.forename: Eyitope O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Ogunbodede
authors.forename: Elsbeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kalenderian
mesh_terms: D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D008485:Medical Audit; D010380:Peer Review; D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants
chemical_list: D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants