Potential uses of pit-and-fissure sealants in innovative ways: a review

Several independently conducted studies by distinguished researchers in the field have concurred that applying pit-and-fissure sealant to a carious lesion and the adjacent pits and fissures will not result in spread of the lesion. The preventive resin restoration study lacks confirmation, but appears to offer considerable promise. If this technic and the therapeutic sealing of minimal carious lesions are utilized to the fullest extent possible, a great deal of tooth structure will be saved for many patients. The potential future effects of this conservative approach to restorative dentistry could be vast, both individually to patients from a dental health standpoint, and in terms of public and private expenditures for dental health care.