Clinical Evaluation of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Sealants in Pediatric Patients

Objectives: To compare the clinical efficacy of a new hydrophilic sealant material against previously used hydrophobic material in preventing occlusal decay in a pediatric dental population.
Methods: Patients aged 3-16 years were observed at one of four dental offices (University dental clinic and three pediatric dentist offices) starting in 2013 as part of a long-term prospective study in London, Ontario, Canada.
Using a split-mouth design, primary and permanent molars were sealed bilaterally along an arch (maxillary, mandibular, or both). One side was sealed with hydrophobic sealant material, UltraSeal XT® plus, while the other side was sealed with new hydrophilic sealant, UltraSeal XT® hydro (UltraDent Products, Utah USA). The hydrophilic material was recently developed to eliminate the extra steps of using a drying agent to dry the tooth, reducing procedure time and sources of operator error. Each sealant was evaluated at regular 6-month recalls using the following criteria: 1=completely retained, 2=partial loss, and 3=total loss with caries present. Performance of the sealants was compared using a paired t-test with p<0.05 set for statistical significance.
Results: 2388 sealants in 578 children were evaluated in recall appointments after three years of sealant placement. Overall success rates of the hydrophobic material was 91.7% and 6.7% for completely retained and partially lost sealants respectively, compared to 92.4% and 5.9% for the hydrophilic material. There was no statistically significant difference in the retention rates and incidence of caries between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic sealants at any clinic location at any point of time (p>0.05).
Conclusions: The new hydrophilic sealant is at least as clinically effective as the hydrophobic sealant in preventing occlusal decay. This research may lead to increased sealant placement in children due to reduced operator time and increased patient tolerance of the new material.