Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Dept. of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan, Isfahan, Iran

2 Dentist

Abstract

Statement of Problem: In order to decrease microleakage, several preparation methods and cleaning techniques are used on the tooth surface before sealant application has been advocated. These techniques are pumice prophylaxis, fissure enameloplasty, adhesive, laser and air abrasion.Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate microleakage of three different preparation techniques before acid etching and pit and fissure sealant application.Materials and Method: Sixty extracted sound third molars were randomly divided into 4 groups of 15 each. The teeth were prepared using 1 of the 3 occlusal surface treatments, 1) traditional pumice prophylaxis 2) fissure enameloplasty 3) air abrasion and acid etching. Then the sealant (Clinpro) was applied on the occlusal fissures of all the teeth based on the manufacturer's recommendations. The teeth were thermocycled between 5 and 55 degrees C for 500 cycles with a dwell time of 30 seconds and then stored in normal saline. All the teeth were sealed apically and coated within 1.5 mm of the sealant margin with two layers of nail varnish. They were then immersed in a 0.5% solution of fushin for 24 hours to allow dye penetration into the possible gaps between the enamel and sealant. Buccolingual cuts were made parallel to the long axis of the tooth. The surfaces were scored 0 to 2 for the extent of microleakage using a stereomicroscope. The results were analyzed through mann-Withney test and Mann-Whitney U test.Results: Pretreatment with air abrasion produced the lowest microleakage scores. In the control group, 46.7% microleakage was shown, in the pumice prophylaxis group 40% and in the enameloplasty group 53.3%. There was no significant difference in microleakage between the 3 fissure preparation methods prior to sealant placement ( p >0.05).Conclusion: Neither air abrasion nor enameloplasty followed by acid etching produced significantly less fissure sealant microleakage as compared to the traditional pumice prophylaxis technique.Key words: Fissure sealants, Air abrasion, Enameloplasty