The effectiveness of preventive resin restorations in pediatric patients

In a six-year, eight-month period, 5,185 preventive resin composite sealants (preventive resin restorations) were placed in permanent molars and premolars in children, five through eighteen years of age in the University of Iowa Pediatric Dentistry Clinic. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the frequency of failure or retreatment of these teeth. The median observation time was for 18.5 months (the longest was for 79.2 months); 88.3 percent required no additional restorative procedures. The median time for resealing was one year after placement, in 6.2 percent of the cases. Three hundred and sixty-four (8 percent) of these teeth required retreatment consisting of one-surface amalgam or additional composite material. In conclusion it would appear that the composite/sealant/restoration in the permanent dentition may require further evaluation in an attempt to reduce the incidence of repair or replacement of these restorations.