Evaluation of Novel Instrument in Placement of Dental Sealants

Objectives: To evaluate the surface texture and bubble presence of current pit and fissure sealants when using a novel instrument (C-Shape It) or traditional methods for sealant placement into occlusal fissures.
Methods: Extracted molars with evident occlusal fissures were cleaned with pumice/water slurry and randomly divided into 6 groups (n= 10/gp); 3 groups (treatment) and 3 groups (control). Sealant materials placed included Ultraseal (Ultradent), Delton (Dentsply), and Helioseal (Ivoclar Vivadent). Excess water was removed leaving the surface slightly moist or otherwise as directed per manufacturers’ instructions. Sealant was applied with the manufacturers’ brush and with the novel instrument as directed to each respective group from cusp to cusp without covering marginal ridges and light cured per manufacturers’ recommendations. Samples were subjected to 500x of thermocycling between 5° and 55°C. Teeth were mounted in resin and sectioned mesio-distally with a minimum of four sections per tooth. Sections were examined under a light microscope at 30x and scored. Surface texture of the sealants was evaluated using the following criteria: 1) smooth surface of sealant present and 2) rough surface of sealant present. Bubble formation of the sealants was evaluated using two methods (presence and location) with the following criteria: 0) No bubbles present; 1) Light bubble; 2) Moderate bubble; 3) Heavy bubble. Criteria for bubble location was: 0) No bubbles; 1) Internal bubbles; 2) External bubbles; 3) Internal and external bubbles. Results were statistically analyzed using a Two-Way ANOVA.
Results: The C-Shape It instrument showed consistently smoother surface texture, which was statistically significantly versus traditional applications for all materials (P<0.001). Bubble presence was statistically less or not present with the novel instrument versus traditional for all materials (P<0.001).
Conclusions: The C-Shape It demonstrated consistent ability to reduce bubbles and improve surface texture for all pit and fissure products tested with similar tooth conditions.