Idaho school-based dental sealant program: An evaluation of sealant retention & dental caries prevention

Background: Dental caries are one of the most common preventable diseases of childhood and dental sealants have been shown to significantly decrease the prevalence of dental caries in adolescents. Nationally only 30% of children between 6 and 11 years have dental sealants on their permanent molars. School-based dental sealant programs allow a focus on populations at highest risk of dental disease. Methods: In Idaho, community outreach staff travels throughout the state providing free dental sealant clinics in elementary and middle schools. The program selects schools where ≥55% of the student population qualifies for free or reduced lunch. This study examined the effectiveness of the program on dental caries prevention and sealant retention in sealed 6-year molars. Results: The baseline assessment was conducted with 144 2nd and 3rd grade students and evaluated a total of 576 molar surfaces. Overall, 52% of children had signs of suspected decay in at least one molar at baseline. Decay experience in sealed molars was 24%, with 94 of 388 molars either having been filled or with suspected decay at follow-up. Sealant retention was above average, with 59% of molars sealed at baseline being retained at the four year follow-up. Conclusions: The findings from this study demonstrate that dental sealants placed in school-based settings are effective, both in terms of sealant retention and caries prevention. School-based oral health programs are a low-cost adjunct to dental site pediatric preventative health services, and may provide an additional layer of dental coverage in rural and under-served regions.