Sealant (any type) vs No sealant (control/no treatment): Initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment
- Population
- People receiving orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances (upper and/or lower full arch)
- Intervention
- Sealant (any type)
- Comparison
- No sealant (control/no treatment)
- Outcome
- Initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment
Sealant use reduced the incidence of new white spot lesions versus no sealant (very low certainty).
What each review found
Current versions only| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Sealant vs No sealant Incidence of new white spot lesions by visual-tactile assessment · Patients receiving comprehensive fixed orthodontic treatment · 3 to 27 months, Fixed orthodontic treatment, Overall Sealant use reduced the incidence of new white spot lesions versus no sealant (very low certainty). Efficacy of sealants and bonding materials during fixed orthodontic treatment to prevent enamel… (2021) All outcomes | RR 0.70 [0.53, 0.93] | 6 studies · 2314 participants | Very low |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efficacy of sealants and bonding materials during fixed orthodontic treatment to prevent enamel demineralization: a systematic review and… 2021 All outcomes | Not specified (no date restriction on language or year) | 24 | Critically Low / Critically Low |
Studies behind the findings
The primary studies the full-text reviews tie to this outcome. Reviews with headline outcomes only do not list them here.
- Efficacy of a new sealant to prevent white spot lesions during fixed orthodontic treatment · 2016 · included by 1 of these review
- Effectiveness of a sealant compared with no sealant in preventing enamel demineralization in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances: A… · 2013 · included by 1 of these review
- Effectiveness of Pit and Fissure Sealants in Reducing White Spot Lesions during Orthodontic Treatment · 2009 · included by 1 of these review
- Effect of a hydrophobic tooth coating on gingival health, mutans streptococci, and enamel demineralization in adolescents with fixed… · 2002 · included by 1 of these review
- Effectiveness of a fluoride-releasing sealant in reducing decalcification during orthodontic treatment · 1999 · included by 1 of these review
- Enamel sealants: a clinical evaluation of their value during fixed appliance therapy · 1994 · included by 1 of these review
How reviews are matched to this question
Reviews word the same question differently. Four decision models (TypeSafe's Jev, Liquid AI's d1-ultra, SubQ Snap and Baseten's Elephant) judged each wording of the population, intervention, comparator and outcome against the others; two wordings count as the same when at least three of them agree and none clearly disagrees, and findings count as this question only when all four elements match. Timing, setting and subgroup never split a question: they are shown on each finding.