title: An in vitro investigation of pre-treatment effects before fissure sealing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fissure sealants prevent occlusal caries in permanent molars. Enamel preparation methods are used before fissure sealing.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate effects of bioglass air-abrasion pre-treatment with and without an adhesive, on fissure enamel of permanent teeth, with respect to etchability, microleakage and microtensile bond strength.
  
  
  METHODS
  Half of the occlusal surfaces of 50 extracted premolars underwent bioglass air-abrasion. Dye was applied to the entire occlusal surface. Photographs were taken to score etched surface by dye uptake. Adhesive was applied to 25 of the bioglass-treated areas and all teeth were fissure sealed, sectioned, and evaluated using confocal microscopy. Buccal and lingual surfaces of a further eight premolars were acid-etched and randomly received: air-abrasion, adhesive, both, or none before sealant application for microtensile bond strength measurement in half of the samples immediately and half following 6 months of water immersion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Linear mixed models and multinomial logistic regression were used (P = 0.05). Bioglass air-abrasion significantly improved enamel etchability and reduced microleakage. The addition of an adhesive made no difference to either microleakage or microtensile bond strength. The combination of bioglass abrasion and adhesive led to more cohesive, rather than adhesive, failure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bioglass air-abrasion improved enamel etchability and reduced microleakage irrespective of the adhesive use but neither pre-treatment affected the microtensile bond strength.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Dentistry, Population and Patient Health, King's College London Dental Institute, London, UK.
authors.forename: Mahshid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bagheri
authors.affiliation: Tissue Engineering & Biophotonics, King's College London Dental Institute, London, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pilecki
authors.affiliation: Tissue Engineering & Biophotonics, King's College London Dental Institute, London, UK.|Dental Materials and Minimally Invasive Dentistry, Departamento de odontología, Facultad de Ciensias de la Salud, Universidad CEU-Cardenal Herrera, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2527-8776
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sauro
authors.affiliation: Tissue Engineering & Biophotonics, King's College London Dental Institute, London, UK.|School of Oral and Dental Sciences, Bristol Dental School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Martyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sherriff
authors.affiliation: Tissue Engineering & Biophotonics, King's College London Dental Institute, London, UK.
authors.forename: Timothy F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Dentistry, Population and Patient Health, King's College London Dental Institute, London, UK.
authors.forename: Marie Therese
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1178-4106
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hosey
mesh_terms: D000134:Acid Etching, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D020906:Air Abrasion, Dental; D001641:Bicuspid; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003750:Dental Fissures; D003763:Dental Leakage / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008422:Materials Testing; D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants