LAUSR

PURPOSE To evaluate the clinical performance of high viscosity GIC sealant applied with or without additional light curing in children with early childhood caries (ECC). MATERIALS AND METHODS A split-mouth clinical trial was conducted in a total of 111 3- to 5-year-old children with ECC. 180 pairs of non-carious primary second molars were selected and divided into two groups: study and control. On the basis of the application technique, selected teeth in the study group were further allotted to group A (sealant application with additional light curing) and group B (sealant application without additional light curing). Caries incidence was observed for 1 year in the anatomical pits and grooves, along with sealant retention and marginal discolouration at various intervals over the 1-year period. RESULTS Group A (GIC sealant with additional light curing) (44.2%) showed sealant retention similar to that of group B (GIC sealant without additional light curing) (43.0%) (p = 0.885). Caries incidence was significantly higher in the control group (26%) than the sealant groups (1%) (p < 0.001). No marginal discolouration adjacent to the sealant was observed in either anatomical grooves or pits in both sealant groups for the duration of the study. CONCLUSION Retention and caries prevention by high-viscosity GIC sealant applied with or without additional light curing was found to be similar. At the 12-month assessment, mean dmfs scores and caries incidence in primary second molars were higher in the control than in both study groups.