Abstract
For a given sealant, successful pit and fissure sealing is principally governed by the enamel conditioning technique and the presence of moisture contamination. A new generation of hydrophilic resin sealants is reported to tolerate moisture. This study investigates the impact of Er:YAG laser pre-conditioning and moisture contamination on the microleakage of a recent hydrophilic sealant. Occlusal surfaces of extracted human molars were either acid etched (n = 30), or successively lased and acid etched (n = 30). Ten teeth from each group were either air-dried, water-contaminated, or saliva-contaminated prior to sealing with UltraSeal XT® hydro™. Samples were inspected for penetration of fuchsin dye following 3000 thermocycles between 5 and 50 °C, and the enamel–sealant interfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Significant differences in microleakage were evaluated using the Mann–Whitney U test with Bonferroni adjustment (p = 0.05). Laser pre-conditioning significantly reduced dye penetration irrespective of whether the enamel surface was moist or dry. Microleakage of water-contaminated acid etched teeth was significantly greater than that of their air-dried or saliva-contaminated counterparts. SEM analysis demonstrated good adaptation in all groups with the exception of water-contaminated acid etched teeth which exhibited relatively wide gaps. In conclusion, this hydrophilic sealant tolerates the presence of saliva, although water was found to impair its sealing ability. Laser pre-conditioning significantly decreases microleakage in all cases.
Highlights
A wide range of light-cured resin-based sealants is commercially available for the isolation and defence of occlusal surfaces of molars and premolars [1, 2]
Moisture contamination compromises the quality of adhesion at the sealant–enamel interface, and is a common challenge encountered in paediatric dentistry where patient compliance is low [3]
Recent clinical and in vitro studies support the use of laser ablation prior to acid etching [3,4,5,6], these findings are not unanimously confirmed [7,8,9] In practice, the effectiveness of laser pre-conditioning appears to depend on many factors relating to the rheological and physicochemical properties of the particular sealant, lasing parameters and operator technique
Summary
A wide range of light-cured resin-based sealants is commercially available for the isolation and defence of occlusal surfaces of molars and premolars [1, 2]. Moisture contamination compromises the quality of adhesion at the sealant–enamel interface, and is a common challenge encountered in paediatric dentistry where patient compliance is low [3]. Current research has indicated that the application of laser ablation as an adjunct to traditional phosphoric acid etching may improve the adhesion, adaptation, retention, and resistance to microleakage of resin-based sealants [3, 5]. Recent clinical and in vitro studies support the use of laser ablation prior to acid etching [3,4,5,6], these findings are not unanimously confirmed [7,8,9] In practice, the effectiveness of laser pre-conditioning appears to depend on many factors relating to the rheological and physicochemical properties of the particular sealant, lasing parameters and operator technique
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