Clinical performance of sealants with and without a bonding agent

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the effect of a one-bottle bonding agent on sealant success after 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Method and materials: The sample group consisted of 30 schoolchildren (8 to 10 years of age) who had all their permanent first molars sound and unsealed. Occlusal sealants were placed on first molars according to a split-mouth design. Sealant scoring occurred at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months and was performed by two clinicians blinded to the treatment group. Fisher's exact test was used to analyze the data. Results: The clinically acceptable marginal integrity rates for sealants with a bonding agent after 3, 6, 12, and 24 months were 93%, 93%, 83%, and 79%, respectively. For sealants without a bonding agent, the clinically acceptable marginal integrity rates after 3, 6, 12, and 24 months were 90%, 88%, 81%, and 77%. The rates for no color change in sealants with a bonding agent after 3, 6, 12, and 24 months were 96%, 93%, 81%, and 75%, respectively. For sealants without a bonding agent, the no color change rates after 3, 6, 12, and 24 months were 93%, 93%, 79%, and 72%. After 24 months, 73% of the sample group were available for recall. The retention rates for sealants with and without a bonding agent after 24 months were 79% and 75%, respectively. The results of the statistical analysis showed that there were no differences among the sealants with and without bonding agents evaluated in relation to marginal integrity, marginal discoloration, and anatomic form. Conclusion: The success of a sealant is related to whether the sealant is applied under optimal conditions. The results of this study show that at the 2-year mark, the placement of a bonding agent under sealants did not significantly affect the clinical success of sealants. Keywords: anatomic form, bonding agents, marginal discoloration, marginal integrity, sealant application, sealant evaluation, sealants