In vitro assessment of retention and microleakage in pit and fissure sealants following enamel pre-etching with sodium hypochlorite deproteinisation Article uri icon

abstract

  • AIM: The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the rate of sealant retention and microleakage after placement on etched enamel with and without prior deproteinisation.STUDY DESIGN: 75 freshly extracted third molars were randomly assigned to either of two pit and fissure treatment methods. Samples from both groups were etched with 37%25 phosphoric acid gel for 15 seconds, followed by placement of a sealant, and then subjected to thermocycling for evaluation of sealant retention. After that, specimens were immersed in rhodamine B, sectioned longitudinally, and examined under a confocal laser scanning microscope for assessment of microleakage. Collected data were statistically analysed using chi-square and Fisher exact tests with an α level of 0.05.RESULTS: The rate of sealant retention was similar between the two study groups (P = 0.073), but the rate of sealant microleakage was significantly lower in the enamel deproteinisation group (P < 0.001) than in the control group.CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, we recommend the deproteinisation method prior to enamel acid etching to obtain better clinical results with sealants.

publication date

  • 2015-01-01