In Vitro Evaluation of Viscosity, Depth of Penetration, Microleakage, and Shear Bond Strength of Conventional and Hydrophilic Sealants.

Abstract

Sealants are effective in preventing and arresting pit and fissure caries. Newer brands of sealants continue to be developed despite the lack of scientifically based information addressing the caries-preventive properties of these materials. Hence, laboratory in vitro tests play a vital role in providing the necessary information regarding the efficacy of new products in a short period of time. To compare and evaluate the viscosity, resin tag length, microleakage, and shear bond strength between conventional and hydrophilic sealants. A total of 40 extracted third molars were selected. Only 20 were evaluated for microleakage and resin tag length and another 20 for shear bond strength evaluation between group I-ClinPro and group II-UltraSeal XT hydro. After sealant placement, specimens were immersed in 0.1% rhodamine dye, followed by thermocycling. Microleakage testing was done using a confocal laser scanning microscope and resin tag length evaluation using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and shear bond strength using an Universal Instron machine. Viscosity was assessed using an Anton Paar viscometer. Results were subjected to statistical analysis using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20. Viscosity and mean microleakage scores for group I (0.92 MPa and 1.50) were found to be higher than for group II (0.72 MPa and 0.60). Mean resin tag length and mean shear bond strength for group I (7.46 ± 0.95 μm and 13.71 ± 0.94 MPa) were found to be less compared to group II (10.03 ± 1.00 μm and 20.39 ± 0.98 MPa). The results were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). Group II was found to be less viscous, which resulted in the formation of resin tags of sufficient length and showed less microleakage and higher shear bond strength than group I. Prabakar J, Jeevanandan G, Kengadaran S. In Vitro Evaluation of Viscosity, Depth of Penetration, Microleakage, and Shear Bond Strength of Conventional and Hydrophilic Sealants. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(5):745-750.