A laboratory report on vibration etching for fissure sealants

We have developed a vibration etching technique in which occlusal pits and fissures are simultaneously cleansed and acid-etched using a fissure needle mounted on an electromagnetic vibrator. When tested on extracted teeth, the needle completely cleansed the fissures by removing the contents and the prismless enamel layer, and widened them to from 100 to 150 micrometers to the depth reached by the needle. The sealant penetrated readily and adhered to the reduced and etched fissure walls interlocking with resin tags.