Clinical Evaluation of Pit and Fissure Sealants Placed by Undergraduate Dental Students in 5-15 Years-old Children in Iraq

Objective: To clinically evaluate the retention and marginal discoloration of pit and fissure sealants applied to primary and permanent teeth. Material and Methods: The study population encompassed of 5-15 years- old children. After consenting, a light-curing sealant was applied to etched pits and fissures of occlusal surfaces of selected sound teeth. The retention rate and marginal discoloration were assessed, 3 months after application of the sealants based on the criteria proposed by Simonsen’s criteria (total retention: score 0, partial loss: score 1, and total loss: score 2). Each tooth was considered as an independent sample during analysis. Results: The achieved sample size was 43 children aged 5-15 years (mean age=10.0 years). Therefore, data of 100 teeth from 43 children were used for the final analysis. The percentage of completely retained sealants (59%) was higher than the percentage of partially retained sealants (23%) and completely missing sealants (18%) after 3 months follow up. Out of 100 sealed teeth, 60% were either had marginal discoloration or completely missing. Using the Mann-Whitney test, there was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between primary and permanent teeth in terms of retention. However, there was no statistical difference (p>0.05) between upper and lower teeth in terms of retention. Conclusion: The success rate of fissure sealants after 3 months follow-up was satisfactory