One-year follow-up of microscopical and clinical behavior of bioactive self-etching resin sealant

Background: The development of early carious lesions can be prevented with the use of sealants. This study aimed to evaluate the retention and sealant quality of conventional and bioactive self-etching sealants by direct (clinical) and indirect (microscopical) assessment. Materials and Methods: Sixty newly erupted mandibular second molars (International Caries Detection and Assessment System ≤2) from adolescents were selected for the split-mouth trial study. The tooth was randomized and treated with conventional Fluoroshield (FS) and BeautiSealant (BS) bioactive self-etching sealants. Molds were taken and cast with epoxy resin after treatment. Indirect and direct assessments of retention degree and sealant remnant quality were performed after baseline, 1 month, and 1 year. The Chi-square test, ordinal regression, reasons of chance, and Fleiss' kappa statistical test were employed. Results: After 1 month, greater total retention was observed for FS, but 1-year follow-up demonstrated no retention difference for FS and BS. The odds ratios showed an 86% greater chance of FS showing better marginal adaptation, after 1 month. At 1 year, the clinical assessment showed better anatomical shape and marginal adaptation scores for FS, but no microscopical difference was observed. A pour agreement between clinical and microscopical data was observed. Conclusions: The 1-year follow-up showed no significant difference in the degree of retention, and in the microscopic evaluation of the conventional sealant (FS) and the bioactive self-etching sealant (BS), but in the clinical evaluation, better marginal and anatomical adaptation scores for FS were observed.