Abrasion Wear Results of Sealant Materials After Storage in Water

Resin based sealant materials have been advocated for preventive care but there is a concern that their reduced surface hardness may produce un-acceptable surface degradation and wear. Purpose: To compare the tooth brushing wear of four different sealants after storage in de-ionized water for 60 days. Materials and Methods: Six disks of each of four different filled sealant materials ( Delton Plus, 38% filled by weight- Dentsply, UltraSeal, 58% filled by wt.- Ultradent, Guardian, 30% filled by wt.- Kerr, Pit and Fissure Sealant, 44% filled by wt.- Bisco ) were prepared according to manufacturer's instructions. The prepared samples were stored in de-ionized water for 60 days to allow for water absorption and softening. Samples were then dried with tissue wipes and weighed. After the weight was carefully determined for each sample, the samples were placed in an Abrasion Testing Machine by Pepsodent Co., Chicago for 40,000 strokes with a slurry of 20% toothpaste (Pepsodent in DI water with 100ppm silicone oil) under a tooth brush arm (Oral B P-60) with a weight of 200g. After abrasion testing each sample was again weighed to determine the material loss. Each group was tested 3 times and the results tabulated. Results: Bisco sealant material demonstrated the least material wear, 7.4 µ/40,000 strokes with a SD of 2.0 µ while Guardian Sealant from Kerr had the most material wear with an average of 14.7 µ/40,000 and a SD of 3.5 µ. Ultraseal, the most filled by wt. had an average of 10.0 µ/40,000 strokes wear while Delton plus with only 38% filled by wt. had 12.8 µ/40,000 strikes wear. Statistical analysis of the samples (ANOVA P=0.001442 with 3 df) determined significant differences between the sealant groups. Conclusion: Sealant materials differ in their resistance to wear from toothbrush abrasion.