The Use of Dental Sealants

In Clinical Settings

In November 2006, the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs convened an expert panel to review current relevant scientific evidence and make recommendations on the clinical use of dental sealants.  The panel's report was published in the March 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association and is available online.

In Public Health Programs

Dental sealants were introduced in the 1970s; however, relatively few dentists in private practices provided sealants to their patients. Children from low-income families who lacked access to private dental care were even less likely to receive sealants. As a means to provide sealants to low-income children, school-based dental sealant programs were developed.  The first program in Ohio started in the mid-1980s.

During the early years of development and expansion, little was known about the characteristics of this unique approach to providing sealants.  A national survey was conducted in 1992-93 to describe school-based and school-linked public health sealant programs.  A report summarizing the survey findings is available.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) currently provides grant funds for 16 school-based dental sealant programs. These programs are targeted to schools with 50 percent or more of the students eligible for the state's Free and Reduced Price Meal Program and/or a median income less than 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($30,000 for a family of four in 2006.) A map of the ODH- and locally-funded dental sealant programs shows that the programs are predominately located in southeastern Ohio and in major metropolitan areas. These locales have high percentages of children from low-income families and limited access to dental care.

Following an assessment by a dentist, teams of dental hygienists and dental assistants place sealants on children's teeth. Children are assessed for other dental problems as well, and parents are notified that follow-up care is needed. Often, school personnel assist families in securing follow-up dental care. Students are rescreened the following school year to ensure the integrity of the sealants previously placed and to place sealants on newly erupted teeth. To learn more about Ohio's public health sealant programs, please view a one-page synopsis or the frequently asked questions page on this Web site.

Seal America: The Prevention Invention, 2nd Edition is an online manual designed to assist health professionals in starting and operating a school-based sealant program. It provides practical guidance for new programs, and may be of help to existing programs looking to improve specific aspects of their operations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened an expert panel in 2004-05 to review the science related to specific practices of sealant placement in school-based sealant programs. The panel recommended modifications be made to the current guidelines, which were last revised in 1994. The report(s) will be made available on this Web site when published. 

Last Updated:  09/09/08

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