European Fissure Sealant Guidelines: assessment using AGREE II.

Area of Science:

• Dental Public Health
• Evidence-Based Dentistry

Background:

• Pit and fissure sealants are crucial for preventing occlusal caries.
• The effectiveness of sealants relies on high-quality clinical practice guidelines (CPGs).
• Assessing the rigor of CPG development is essential for their reliable application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the quality of European CPGs for pit and fissure sealants.
• To utilize the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument for assessment.
• To identify variations in guideline quality among European nations.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a systematic search for fissure sealant guidelines published within the last 10 years.
• Applied the AGREE II instrument with 23 items rated on a 7-point scale.
• Ensured inter-appraiser reliability through calibration before scoring.

Main Results:

• Identified 19 guidelines, narrowing down to three European CPGs for detailed evaluation.
• Achieved high agreement between appraisers (PA = 0.89, NA = 0.91).
• Found significant quality variations: Irish guideline scored highest, followed by French, with the European guideline scoring lowest.

Conclusions:

• European Fissure Sealant Guidelines demonstrate considerable differences in quality based on AGREE II assessment.
• There is a clear need for the development of higher-quality dental CPGs.
• Further research should focus on effective strategies for implementing these guidelines into practice.