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.

Preventing dental caries through school-based sealant programs: updated recommendations and reviews of evidence.

Background: School-based sealant programs (SBSPs) increase sealant use and reduce caries. Programs target schools that serve children from low-income families and focus on sealing newly erupted permanent molars. In 2004 and 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, sponsored meetings of an expert work group to update recommendations for sealant use in SBSPs on the basis of available evidence regarding the effectiveness of sealants on sound and carious pit and fissure surfaces, caries assessment and selected sealant placement techniques, and the risk of caries' developing in sealed teeth among children who might be lost to follow-up.

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.

Evidence-based clinical recommendations for the use of pit-and-fissure sealants: a report of the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs.

This article presents evidence-based clinical recommendations for use of pit-and-fissure sealants developed by an expert panel convened by the American Dental Association (ADA) Council on Scientific Affairs. The panel addressed the following clinical questions. Under what circumstances should sealants be placed to prevent caries? Does placing sealants over early (noncavitated) lesions prevent progression of the lesion? Are there conditions that favor the placement of resin-based versus glass ionomer cement sealants in terms of retention or caries prevention? Are there any techniques that could improve sealants' retention and effectiveness in caries prevention? Staff of the ADA Division of Science conducted a MEDLINE search to identify systematic reviews and clinical studies published after the identified systematic reviews.

Evidence-based clinical recommendations for the use of pit-and-fissure sealants: a report of the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs.

Background: This article presents evidence-based clinical recommendations for use of pit-and-fissure sealants developed by an expert panel convened by the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs. The panel addressed the following clinical questions: Under what circumstances should sealants be placed to prevent caries? Does placing sealants over early (noncavitated) lesions prevent progression of the lesion? Are there conditions that favor the placement of resin-based versus. glass ionomer cement sealants in terms of retention or caries prevention? Are there any techniques that could improve sealants' retention and effectiveness in caries prevention?

Types Of Studies Reviewed: Staff of the ADA Division of Science conducted a MEDLINE search to identify systematic reviews and clinical studies published after the identified systematic reviews.

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.