Influence of Diet and Oral Hygiene Practices on Retention of Fissure Sealant in Rural and Urban Children – An in vivo Study

Retention of fissure sealant in deep pits and fissures of molar is the main criteria for successful prevention of occurrence of dental caries. These fissure sealants are subjected to various factors like oral hygiene practices and dietary habit that differs from place to place. So a study was conducted to evaluate and compare the retention rate of the flowable composite resin sealant among the rural and urban school children of Davangere (Karnataka) and correlate with their dietary and oral hygiene practices. 40 children from urban and 40 from rural areas of Davangere with bilateral caries free mandibular first permanent molars were included in the study. A total of 160 selected teeth were sealed with flowable resin (FiltekTM Flow) sealant. Evaluation of sealant retention was performed at 6 and 12 month interval by making tooth replicas with elastomeric impression which were then examined under stereomicroscope. The data was statistically analyzed using Chi square test. The results revealed a significantly higher retention of sealant in urban children compared to their rural counterparts. Improved retention rates were present in vegetarian children than in those consuming mixed diet. No statistically significant results were observed with respect to oral hygiene practices. From this study it was concluded that sealants retention was higher in children living in urban areas than in rural. Retention of sealants was more amongst children consuming vegetarian diet than mixed diet.