Optically enhanced dental sealants to indicate placement and material condition

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): During this study, we will identify and demonstrate a non-toxic additive for dental polymer systems to provide a substantially transparent sealant that becomes plainly visible under special lighting conditions. This will allow the clinical practitioner to accurately gauge initial sealant placement without requiring any additional equipment and to subsequently verify mechanical integrity on follow-up visits. Defective or partially intact sealants can be easily diagnosed and repaired to provide the optimal state of caries protection. Beyond the current state of the art, the additive may provide an indirect measure of the sealant mechanical integrity by preferentially degrading with increased water diffusivity from an insufficiently cured polymer or mechanical damage such as matrix microcracking. The logic for this proposal is as follows: 1) Dental sealants are a proven means to prevent caries in at risk populations. 2) Opaque sealants are easier to use than transparent sealants because of their visibility, but they have lower clinical efficacy via depth of cure and retention. 3) An optically doped sealant combines the efficacy advantages of a clear sealant with the visibility advantages of an opaque sealant.