FLUORIDE-RELEASING SEALANT FOR CARIES PREVENTION

THE OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO DEVELOP A DENTAL PIT AND FISSURE SEALANT THAT RELEASES FLUORIDE ION ATA CONTINUOUS LOW RATE AND TO DEMONSTRATE GREATER ANTICARIES EFFECTIVENESS OF SUCH A SEALANT RELATIVE TO THE PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL OR NONFLUORIDE SEALANTS. THE NEW MATERIAL IS DESIGNED TO COMPENSATE FOR SEALANT LOSS, WHICH HISTORICALLY OCCURS WITH TIME, BY PROVIDING FLUORIDE TO BOTH COVERED AND ADJACENT TOOTH AREAS SO THAT CARIES PREVENTION WOULD APPROACH 100-PERCENT EFFICACY. PROJECT ACTIVITIES IN PHASE I INCLUDE OPTIMIZING THE SEALANTFORMULATION IN TERMS OF FLUORIDE RELEASE AND SUITABILITY FOR APPLICATION, DEMONSTRATING FLUORIDE UPTAKE BY ADJACENT ENAMEL, AND PROVIDING EVIDENCE OF LONG-TERM RETENTIVENESS OF THE MATERIAL. PHASE II ACTIVITY WILL CENTER ON COMPARING THE CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF THE NEW SEALANT IN REDUCING CARIES WITH THAT OF A NONFLUORIDE SEALANT OF SIMILAR COMPOSITION; SUBJECTS WILL BE EVALUATED SEMIANNUALLY FOR SEALANT RETENTION AND CARIES ACTIVITY FOR 5YEARS.