This study was carried out to evaluate the caries preventive effect of a fluoride releasing coating material (Clearseal®a, product of Kuraray Co.) applied to mesial surface of the young permanent first molars.
Sixty-seven children with dental ages of III A to IIIB, who visited the pediatric dental clinic of the Tsurumi University Dental Hospital, participated in this study.
The coating material was applied to 119 mesial surfaces of the first permanent molars (48 upper and 71 lower teeth) after being diagnosed as intact or incipiently carious (CO or C 1) by inspection, palpation and bite-wing X-lay examinations. These teeth were randomly selected after more than three years of follow-up observation.
Besides these teeth,30 mesial surfaces of the first permanent molars which had not been treated by any other means than fluoride application were used as the control, and these 30 mesial surfaces were evaluated retrospectively with bite-wing X-ray examinations. The application of the coating material followed three methods depending on the clinical findings of the adjacent primary second molars: 1. group using the Eriot separater, having CO carious lesions on distal surface of the primary second molars (ED) but restoration was unnecessary,2. restoration group, having C 1 or C 2 carious lesion on ED and cavity preparation was necessary,3. extraction group, extraction indicated for the primary second molars.
The caries preventive or protective effect for the mesial surfaces of the permanent first molars (the abbreviation should be 6 M) was evaluated by oral examination as well as bite-wing X-ray pictures taken at the most recent occasion.
Among 119 permanent first molars,82 teeth were not affected by carious lesions and the 6 M protective rate was 68.9%. The caries protective rates of the groups 1,2, and 3 were 69.2%,60.7%,87.5% respectively.37 teeth were involved in the restoration and these restorations were taking place after 2 years 6 months on the average. On the other hand, the 30 control teeth showed significantly high involvement of dental caries and restoration (the restored 6 M rate was 90.4%).
It is suggested that the application of the fluoride releasing coating material is effective for preventing caries of the mesial surface of the permanent first molar.