Falling Short
Most States Lag on Dental Sealants
- Children's Dental Campaign
- Contact Matt Jacob 202.540.6310
- January 8, 2013
What Are Sealants?
Dental sealants are clear plastic coatings that take only a few minutes to apply to the chewing surfaces of permanent molars, the most cavity-prone teeth.[i]The coatings act as a barrier against decay-causing bacteria.[ii]
Sealants can be placed following a visual assessment of the teeth to make sure they are not placed on any extensive decay.[iii]After the molars are cleaned and prepped, the sealant material is painted onto the enamel, where it bonds directly to the tooth and quickly hardens.[iv]
Usually, sealants are first placed on children’s teeth while they are in the 2nd grade, shortly after their permanent molars appear.[v] In addition to protecting a healthy tooth, sealants also can prevent a cavity from forming when applied during the early stages of tooth decay.[vi]
The CDC and the American Dental Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs have cited a number of studies that recognize sealants as one of the most effective preventive strategies.[vii] Schools are an ideal place to reach students at high risk for cavities. School-based sealant programs have been associated with reducing the incidence of tooth decay by an average of 60 percent.[viii]
[i] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Dental sealants. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/oralHealth/publications/factsheets/sealants_faq.htm; American Dental Association. Oral health topics: Dental sealants. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://www.ada.org/3026.aspx
[ii] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Dental sealants. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/oralHealth/publications/factsheets/sealants_faq.htm
[iii] Gooch, B. F., Griffin, S. O., Gray, S. K., Kohn, W. G., Rozier, R. G., Siegal, M., et al. (2009). Preventing dental caries through school-based sealant programs: Updated recommendations and reviews of evidence. Journal of the American Dental Association, 140(11), 1356–1365; Fontana, M., Zero, D. T., Beltrán-Aguilar, E. D., & Gray, S. K. (2010). Techniques for assessing tooth surfaces in school-based sealant programs. Journal of the American Dental Association, 141(7), 854–860.
[iv] American Dental Association. Oral health topics: Dental sealants. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://www.ada.org/3026.aspx
[v] N. Carter, American Association for Community Dental Programs, & National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. (2011). Seal America: The prevention invention, Table 1, Second Edition, Revised. Retrieved March 15, 2012, from http://www.mchoralhealth.org/seal/step1.html; Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors. (2003). Best practice approach reports: School-based dental sealant programs. Retrieved March 26, 2012, from http://www.astdd.org/school-based-dental-sealant-programs/#two
[vi] Beauchamp, J., Caufield, P. W., Crall, J. J., Donly, K., Feigal, R., Gooch, B., et al. (2008). Evidence-based clinical recommendations for the use of pit-and-fissure sealants: A report of the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs. Journal of the American Dental Association, 139(3), 257–268; Tellez, M., Gray, S. L., Gray, S., Lim, S., & Ismail, A. I. (2011). Sealants and dental caries: dentists' perspectives on evidence-based recommendations. Journal of the American Dental Association, 142(9), 1033–1040.
[vii] Truman, B. I., Gooch, B. F., Sulemana, I., Gift, H. C., Horowitz, A. M., Evans, C. A., et al. (2002). Reviews of evidence on interventions to prevent dental caries, oral and pharyngeal cancers, and sports-related craniofacial injuries. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 23(1 Suppl.), 21–54; Beauchamp, J., Caufield, P. W., Crall, J. J., Donly, K., Feigal, R., Gooch, B., et al. (2008). Evidence-based clinical recommendations for the use of pit-and-fissure sealants: A report of the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs. Journal of the American Dental Association, 139(3), 257–268.
[viii] Truman, B. I., Gooch, B. F., Sulemana, I., Gift, H. C., Horowitz, A. M., Evans, C. A., et al. (2002). Reviews of evidence on interventions to prevent dental caries, oral and pharyngeal cancers, and sports-related craniofacial injuries. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 23(1 Suppl.), 21–54.
Report Assets
- Date:
- January 8, 2013
- Contacts:
- Matt Jacob | 202.540.6310
- Project:
- Children's Dental Campaign
- Issues:
- Sealants, Dental Health
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