Marginal Microleakage of Conventional Fissure Sealants and Self-Adhering Flowable Composite as Fissure Sealant in Permanent Teeth.

OBJECTIVES: Application of sealants is a safe and effective way to prevent occlusal caries in the posterior teeth. A successful sealant therapy depends on good isolation. Decreased steps of adhesive application may enable proper isolation and use of self-adhering flowable composites for sealant therapy. This study sought to compare the marginal microleakage of fissure sealants and self-adhering flowable composites in permanent teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This in vitro, experimental study was conducted on 60 extracted human premolar teeth. The teeth were divided randomly into two groups of 30. In the first group, fissure sealant (Clinpro, 3M ESPE, USA) was placed on the teeth. In the second group, self-adhering flowable composite (Vertise Flow, Kerr, USA) was applied as the sealant. Then, both groups were immersed in 0.5% fuchsin dye solution for 24 hours. Sectioned samples were observed with a stereomicroscope for the extent of dye penetration. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21 and the Mann-Whitney test (P<0.05). RESULTS: Microleakage in the fissure sealant group was significantly higher than that in the self-adhering flowable composite group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Microleakage was less using self-adhering flowable composite compared to conventional fissure sealant; therefore, self-adhering flowable composite can be used as a suitable fissure sealant in permanent teeth.

Comparison of various concentrations of tricalcium phosphate nanoparticles on mechanical properties and remineralization of fissure sealants.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanical properties (flexural strength, micro-shear bond strength) and remineralizing potential of fissure sealants by adding various concentrations of ß-tricalcium phosphate nanoparticles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This in-vitro study consisted of five experimental groups containing prepared nano-fisssure sealants (1-5 wt.% ß-TCP nanoparticles) and two control groups containing a prepared and a commercial fissure sealant. Flexural/micro-shear bond strength values were measured using Zwick test machine. Cavities on sixty healthy premolar teeth were filled with the fissure sealants containing 0-5 wt.% of nano ß-TCP. The samples were assessed for remineralization under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EDAX. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, One-way ANOVA and Tukey's Post Hoc analysis/HSD were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the flexural strengths/elastic modulus of the 0-5 wt.% nano ß-TCP groups (p>0.05). The average flexural strength/elastic modulus of the prepared fissure sealant group (0%) was significantly higher than the commercial fissure sealant group (Clinpro) (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between micro-shear bond strengths of the experimental groups (1-5 wt.%), and between the commercial and the prepared (0%) fissure sealant groups (p>0.05). Examining the samples under SEM showed a significant increase in thickness of the intermediate layer with increasing concentrations of ß-TCP nanoparticles (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Addition of 1-5 wt.% ß-TCP nanoparticles to the fissure sealants significantly increased the remineralization potential without affecting the mechanical properties.