In Vitro Comparison of Microleakage of a Conventional, a Self-Etching and a Hydrophilic Fissure Sealant

Introduction: The preventive role of pit and fissure sealants against dental caries has clearly been shown. Two new categories of self-etching (Itena) and hydrophilic (Smartseal & Loc F) fissure sealants have recently been marketed. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare microleakage of these innovative fissure sealants with a conventional sealant material (3M). Materials & Methods: Seventy-five sound extracted third molars from both jaws with no caries or cracks were selected for the purpose of this in vitro study and assigned to three groups. The teeth were cleaned with pumice powder and water, rinsed, dried and prepared. The occlusal pits and fissures were etched using a 37% phosphoric acid ethant gel (3M) for 20 s, rinsed for 15 s and dried. In each group, the assigned sealant material was applied over the pits and fissures and cured for 20 s: self-etching (Itena), hydrophilic (Smartseal & Loc F) and conventional sealant material (3M). The samples were then stored in 0.5% volatile fuchsine solution for 48 hours. The samples were then rinsed and sectioned in the buccolingual direction. The samples were then investigated at ×24 magnification under a stereomicroscope for depth of dye penetration. Data were analyzed with using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests at a significance level of p value < 0.05. Results: Comparison of the means showed the highest degree of microleakage in self-etching sealant (mean = 3), which was significantly different from the hydrophilic (mean = 2) and conventional (G = 0.84) fissure sealants (p value < 0.001). However, there was no statistically significant difference between conventional and hydrophilic fissure sealants (p value = 0.21). Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the microleakage of self-etching sealant was higher than the two other fissure sealants. Key words: Dental leakage, Fissure sealant, Self-etching.