RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between dental sealant placement and subsequent restorative treatment of permanent first molars over time. METHODS: We analysed Wisconsin Medicaid claims data from 2001 to 2009 for children aged 6-16 years. Children entered the study cohort at age 6 and were censored if Medicaid eligibility was lost for >31 days. A fixed effects analysis via a Cox proportional hazards model, stratified by individual, was used to estimate the time-averaged and time-dependent effects of sealant placement on dental treatment defined as any restorative, endodontic or surgical procedure. RESULTS: A total of 185,262 children with permanent first molars who turned 6 years enrolled in Medicaid were examined. Sealant placement was higher for teeth #16 and 26 (5.42 and 5.46 per 100 person-years (100PY), versus 5.29 and 5.31/100PY for #36 and 46, respectively. The average rate for restorative treatments had the opposite pattern, with lower rate for teeth #16 and 26 (1.78 and 1.72/100PY) versus teeth #36 and 46 (2.14 and 2.12/100PY), respectively. In the fixed effects regression model, the hazard of dental treatment was substantially lower after sealant placement on a tooth, with time-averaged hazard ratio HR = 0.23 (95% CI 0.21-0.25, P < .001) versus before sealant. The largest effect was in the first year after sealant placement (HR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.11-0.14), which decreased over time (HR = 0.50, 0.59 and 0.74 in years 2, 3 and 4, respectively), and was not statistically significant in later years. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that permanent first molar sealant placement delayed subsequent dental treatments in children enrolled in Medicaid.