A comparative study of fluoride-releasing composite resin and glass ionomer materials used as fissure sealants

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to investigate the clinical use of two fluoride-releasing fissure sealants and to study fluoride release under laboratory conditions. Methods: In the clinical part of the study the two materials, FluroShield and Baseline, were applied to matched contralateral caries-free first permanent molars in 86 children aged 7–8 years. In the laboratory study fluoride release from each material was measured using a model cavity system. Results: After 3 years FluroShield was intact on 70% of teeth. Retention was significantly better on lower molars than upper molars. Baseline was lost from all except two teeth within 6 months. After 3 years, caries had affected four teeth sealed with FluroShield and 24 teeth sealed with Baseline; this difference was highly significant. The laboratory study showed that FluroShield released twice as much fluoride over 9 days than did Baseline. Long term studies using FluroShield showed a small steady fluoride release over 6 months. Conclusions: The conclusion of the study was that FluroShield was a much more effective fissure sealant than Baseline. The clinical performance of FluroShield was comparable to that of other inert composite resin sealants and superior to that of fluoride-releasing sealants used previously.