Effects of sealant conditioners on occlusal surface bacteria: a clinical study

Abstract

This clinical study evaluated the effects of conditioning agents for pit and fissure sealants on the bacteria present in occlusal grooves and fissures in permanent molars. The conditioning agents, 50 percent phosphoric acid and 50 percent phosphoric acid attenuated with 7 percent zinc oxide, with distilled sterile water being used as a control, were compared for their ability to kill bacteria in carious occlusal lesions. Eighty-six teeth from children eight to twelve years of age were conditioned with one of the randomly assigned agents using a blind method to prevent bias. The teeth were then cultured with a method that measured results as to growth or no growth after incubation. The culturing was done at both the occlusal surface and the depth of the lesion. A chi square test demonstrated that there were no significant differences between the conditioners on either the occlusal or depth of the lesion cultures (x2 = .31, df = 2, a = .05). The two conditioners did not totally kill the bacteria in occlusal lesions often enough to justify their use as bactericidal agents before sealants are applied.