Sealant retention rates of dental hygienists and dental technicians using differing training protocols.

Dental personnel, other than dentists, must be trained to place sealants to provide this much needed service cost-effectively to the numbers of children who require it. A program to train Air Force dental technicians (equivalent to dental assistants) to place sealants with assistance using the Vac-Ejector Moisture Control System (Whaledent International, New York, NY) for isolation was reported in a previous article. 2 Over a two-year period at the Benjamin Dunn Dental Clinic, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, 20 dental technicians were trained to place sealants with supervision. Eight civilian dental hygienists hired by the Air Force also completed the first portion of this training program. The purpose of this study was to examine the sealant retention rates and compare them to the retention rates of the trained technicians.