Resin-based sealant effectiveness in high-caries risk children: a systematic review

Abstract Background There have been limited previous reviews on the use of sealants in high-caries-risk children that include multiple study designs. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the preventive effect of sealants on high-caries-risk children and compare the effectiveness of sealants betw...

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Main Authors: Yodsapat Paemanukornruk, Nicha Luksamijarulkul, Piyada Gaewkhiew
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-05-01
Series:BMC Oral Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-06158-0
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author Yodsapat Paemanukornruk
Nicha Luksamijarulkul
Piyada Gaewkhiew
author_facet Yodsapat Paemanukornruk
Nicha Luksamijarulkul
Piyada Gaewkhiew
author_sort Yodsapat Paemanukornruk
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background There have been limited previous reviews on the use of sealants in high-caries-risk children that include multiple study designs. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the preventive effect of sealants on high-caries-risk children and compare the effectiveness of sealants between high-caries-risk children and lower-caries-risk children. Methods An initial protocol was developed following the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed across several electronic databases, including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase and Google Scholar. Experimental or observational studies that examined resin-based sealants for preventing caries over at least 12 months in high-caries-risk children, identified by individual risk assessment, were included. Comparison groups were moderate- or low-risk children or no sealant; if unavailable, only intervention data were used. The risk of bias was assessed via the RoB2 tool and the Newcastle‒Ottawa Scale. Results A total of 1651 unique records were identified, 20 of which were included in this systematic review. Studies comparing only sealed teeth among different caries risk groups have indicated that high-caries-risk children have a greater risk of developing new carious lesions than low- or moderate-risk children do. In contrast, the effect of sealants was negligible in low-caries-risk children when compared between sealed and nonsealed teeth. Additionally, caries experience was the primary criterion used across all included studies. Conclusion Resin-based sealants are still recommended for high-caries-risk children. However, generalizability and an appropriate threshold for risk assessment remain unclear owing to the limited number of studies from low- to middle-income countries and variability in risk assessment methods. Systematic review registration PROSPERO Registration number CRD42023473013. Clinical trial number Not applicable.
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spelling doaj-art-3459d71ee3414410acbbe34a0dfd06152025-08-20T03:54:11ZengBMCBMC Oral Health1472-68312025-05-0125111210.1186/s12903-025-06158-0Resin-based sealant effectiveness in high-caries risk children: a systematic reviewYodsapat Paemanukornruk0Nicha Luksamijarulkul1Piyada Gaewkhiew2Department of Community Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol UniversityDepartment of Community Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol UniversityDepartment of Community Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol UniversityAbstract Background There have been limited previous reviews on the use of sealants in high-caries-risk children that include multiple study designs. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the preventive effect of sealants on high-caries-risk children and compare the effectiveness of sealants between high-caries-risk children and lower-caries-risk children. Methods An initial protocol was developed following the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed across several electronic databases, including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase and Google Scholar. Experimental or observational studies that examined resin-based sealants for preventing caries over at least 12 months in high-caries-risk children, identified by individual risk assessment, were included. Comparison groups were moderate- or low-risk children or no sealant; if unavailable, only intervention data were used. The risk of bias was assessed via the RoB2 tool and the Newcastle‒Ottawa Scale. Results A total of 1651 unique records were identified, 20 of which were included in this systematic review. Studies comparing only sealed teeth among different caries risk groups have indicated that high-caries-risk children have a greater risk of developing new carious lesions than low- or moderate-risk children do. In contrast, the effect of sealants was negligible in low-caries-risk children when compared between sealed and nonsealed teeth. Additionally, caries experience was the primary criterion used across all included studies. Conclusion Resin-based sealants are still recommended for high-caries-risk children. However, generalizability and an appropriate threshold for risk assessment remain unclear owing to the limited number of studies from low- to middle-income countries and variability in risk assessment methods. Systematic review registration PROSPERO Registration number CRD42023473013. Clinical trial number Not applicable.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-06158-0SealantChildrenCaries riskCaries
spellingShingle Yodsapat Paemanukornruk
Nicha Luksamijarulkul
Piyada Gaewkhiew
Resin-based sealant effectiveness in high-caries risk children: a systematic review
BMC Oral Health
Sealant
Children
Caries risk
Caries
title Resin-based sealant effectiveness in high-caries risk children: a systematic review
title_full Resin-based sealant effectiveness in high-caries risk children: a systematic review
title_fullStr Resin-based sealant effectiveness in high-caries risk children: a systematic review
title_full_unstemmed Resin-based sealant effectiveness in high-caries risk children: a systematic review
title_short Resin-based sealant effectiveness in high-caries risk children: a systematic review
title_sort resin based sealant effectiveness in high caries risk children a systematic review
topic Sealant
Children
Caries risk
Caries
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-06158-0
work_keys_str_mv AT yodsapatpaemanukornruk resinbasedsealanteffectivenessinhighcariesriskchildrenasystematicreview
AT nichaluksamijarulkul resinbasedsealanteffectivenessinhighcariesriskchildrenasystematicreview
AT piyadagaewkhiew resinbasedsealanteffectivenessinhighcariesriskchildrenasystematicreview