Microleakage of two fluoride-releasing sealants when applied following saliva contamination

Abstract

The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate microleakage of two fluoride-releasing sealants in saliva contaminated and non-contaminated conditions. Twenty-four human third molars were randomly assigned to two groups: saliva contaminated and saliva non-contaminated teeth. In the contaminated group, the teeth were contaminated with 0.02 ml artificial saliva for 20 seconds and blowed dry afterward. Each group was divided into two subgroups: Group A, a fluoride-releasing resin sealant marketed as Clinpro® and Group B, a glass-ionomer sealant marketed as Fuji VII™. After sealant application, all the teeth were thermocycled for 2,000 cycles and coated with nail varnish 1.0 mm from the sealed areas. The teeth were stained with 2% methylene blue dye for 24 hours and sectioned in the bucco-lingual direction. Dye penetration (microleakage) was examined with a 25x polarized light microscope and measured by a computerized- calculated method. Data were compared with the Mann-Whitney U test at significance level of p<0.05. A comparison of the two types of sealant revealed microleakage of the glass-ionomer sealant was present but there was no significant difference between the saliva contaminated and saliva non-contaminated teeth. Microleakage of the fluoride-releasing resin sealant was present and was greater among the saliva-contaminated teeth than the saliva non-contaminated teeth. The glass-ionomer sealant had significantly greater microleakage than the fluoride-relasing resin-based sealant in both the saliva-contaminated and saliva non-contaminated teeth.