Fissure sealant wear at 30 months: new evaluation criteria

The volume, depth and area of fissure sealant wear at 30 months is reported. Eighteen premolar teeth were included in the study. The teeth were sealed (Concise, White Sealant, 3M Dental Products Div., St Paul, MN, USA) and an impression taken, yielding a baseline record. Subsequent impressions were taken at 6 months and 30 months. Epoxy replicas were made from all impressions and the occlusal surface of each replica was digitized using a displacement stylus and programmable retrieval system. A goodness-of-fit routine was used to compare the digitized replicas and quantify wear. At 30 months, there was a mean sealant volume loss of 0.43 +/- 0.24 mm3 (mean of the maximum depth loss = 221.8 +/- 115.1 microns; mean area loss = 0.62 +/- 0.15 mm2) for all teeth. A new parameter, the Occlusal Stability Ratio (OSR), is discussed which describes the relationship between sealant area and sealant volume.