Comparative effectiveness research of two glass ionomer cements for primary molar fissure sealing

Relevance. A glass ionomer cement (GIC) is the material for primary teeth fissure sealing in children. The research aimed to study the comparative effectiveness of two GIC pit and fissure sealants in primary molars.Materials and methods. Sixty-one children aged 2-5 years (mean 26.99 ± 0.55 months) participated in the study after obtaining the Local Ethical Committee’s permission and the parents’ informed consents. Non-invasive fissure sealing in primary molars was performed according to split-mouth design with two GIC: Fujy-9, GC, Japan (109 teeth, FV-group) and Polyakrilin, TehnoDent, Russia (106 teeth, PV-group). Follow-ups were provided after 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. Complete retention, partial retention or complete loss (%) of the sealants and the frequency (%) of fissure caries development were calculated. The chi-square criterion was used to assess the significance of the differences between the groups at p-value < 0.05.Results. In 6 and 12 months, all the cases demonstrated complete or partial sealant retention and the absence of pit and fissure caries. The following results were found after 24 months: complete GIC retention in 8.6% of molars in FV-group and 1.9% in PV-group, (p < 0.05), partial retention – 78.8% and 79.0% (p > 0.05) respectively, complete loss – 6.7% and 11.4% respectively (p > 0,05). Fissure carious lesions were found only after 18 and 24 months in 2.8% cases in FV-group and 3.8% cases in PV-group, p > 0,05.Conclusions. Both studied GICs for non-invasive primary molar fissure sealing were equally highly effective for pit and fissure caries prevention in children. Annual follow-ups in children are necessary for GIC sealant repair.