From prevention to therapy: minimal intervention with sealants and resin restorative materials.

The breakthrough discovery of the acid-etch procedure by Buonocore in the mid-1950s laid the groundwork for the development of pit and fissure sealant as the best preventive agent for use against the development and progression of pit and fissure caries. The acid-etch technique is also the foundational technology behind the ability for clinical dentistry to adapt to a more conservative, minimally invasive, approach to restorative dentistry. The 1970s saw the acid etch technique developed the first foray into minimally invasive operative approaches, which was termed the Preventive Resin Restoration.

A revised classification for direct tooth-colored restorative materials.

Composite resins and glass-ionomer cements were introduced to dentistry in the 1960s and 1970s, respectively. Since then, there has been a series of modifications to both materials as well as the development other groups claiming intermediate characteristics between the two. The result is a confusion of materials leading to selection problems.

Caries management by risk assessment: implementation guidelines.

ACT This consensus statement supports implementation of caries management by risk assessment in clinical practice by using the following principles: modification of the oral flora, patient education, remineralization, and minimal operative intervention. The statement includes a list of supporters.

Preventive resin restorations and sealants in light of current evidence.

Pit and fissure sealant should be treatment option provided to all children, particularly at the age immediately after eruption of the posterior teeth and especially, but not exclusively, the permanent teeth. Preventive resin restoration is minimally invasive procedure that should be the treatment of choice for small carious lesions in the posterior teeth. The Class I amalgam should not be placed as a first-time restorative material to treat incipient or small carious lesions under any circumstances.

Why we can't believe what we read.

It is argued that many claims made in the dental literature lack scientific grounding. Rather than become cynical, dentists are urged to use their own critical judgment and caution when reading the literature, especially articles and advertisements in the rapidly expanding area of dental materials. An example involving research on "condensable" resin-bonded composites is analyzed in detail, showing how an apparently credible claim can be lacking in support.

Pit and fissure sealant: review of the literature.

For this literature review of pit and fissure sealant, 1,465 references were selected by a search for "sealants" on PubMed. References were limited to dental journals and papers in the English language. The search comprised papers from 1971 to October 2001.