Title:
The Effectiveness of Sealants in Managing Carious Lesions

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Author(s)
Griffin, S. O.
Oong, E.
Kohn, W.
Vidakovic, Brani
Gooch, B. F.
Bader, J.
Clarkson, J.
Fontana, M. R.
Meyer, D. M.
Rozier, R. G.
Weintraub, J. A.
Zero, D. T.
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Abstract
A barrier to providing sealants is concern about inadvertently sealing over caries. The objective of this meta-analysis was to examine whether sealants are effective in preventing caries progression. Methods: Our search of electronic databases for comparative studies examining caries progression in sealed permanent teeth located 1905 unique records. We ordered 311 articles that met the inclusion criteria. We used a random-effects model to estimate percentage reduction in caries progression in sealed carious teeth compared to not-sealed carious teeth. Findings: Six studies including 4 randomized-controlled trials (RCT) were used in the analysis (1090 surfaces, 840 teeth, and 384 persons). The median annual percentage of non-cavitated lesions progressing was 2.6% for sealed and 12.6% for unsealed carious teeth. The summary prevented fraction for RCT was 71.3% (95%CI: 52.8%-82.5%; no observed heterogeneity). Conclusions: Sealing non-cavitated caries in permanent teeth reduces caries progression by over 70% up to 5 years after placement.
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Date Issued
2007
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Text
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Technical Report
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