Objectives The main purpose of this article is to evaluate the clinical performance of atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) sealant versus Embrace WetBond sealant in terms of retention and fissure caries prevention among a section of school children in the southern Indian state of Karnataka (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02716558). Materials and Methods After obtaining consent from the parents and screening the children against the inclusion cum exclusion criteria, 90 school children whose mandibular first molars were caries free and with a well-defined pit and fissure system were recruited for this spilt mouth trial. The respective molars were allocated either to the ART sealant or the embrace group after the randomization process. The sealants were applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions and followed up at the end of 3rd, 6th, and 12th month, respectively. The outcome measures assessed were the retention and the caries preventive effects of the materials. Results At the end of the 6th month, about one-fourth of the sealants in either group remained totally intact, without evidence of caries. No significant differences were seen between the sealants either in terms of retention or caries preventive benefits at the end of 12 months. Statistical Analysis The chi-squared test was used to check differences in proportions. The significance value was set at <0.05. Kappa test was performed to assess the intraexaminer reproducibility with respect to retention and caries status. Conclusion The moisture-tolerant resin sealant could not replicate the physical properties usually associated with conventional resin sealants. The usage of ART sealants was deemed to be less cumbersome in an outreach setting as observed in this trial.

Objectives This clinical trial compared the efficacy of atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) sealants against resin-based sealants in terms of their retention and fissure caries preventive benefits over a period of 24 months among a section of school children in the Southern Indian state of Telangana. Materials and Methods A split mouth clinical trial employed 198 children, who received these sealants on their lower permanent first molars. Retention was assessed 6 monthly and caries annually Statistical Analysis Chi-square tests were utilized to analyze the retention rate and the incidence of dental caries between the two groups. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis plotted the cumulative survival percentage of partially, and fully retained sealants and the survival of dentin carious free pits and fissures among both the groups. A linear binary logistical regression analysis calculated the odds ratio. Results A statistical significant difference was observed in the retention rate between these sealants at every follow-up stage. The cumulative survival percentage of ART and resin sealants was calculated to be 30.9 and 37.5% by the end of 2 years. The Kaplan–Meier analysis showed no significant difference with regard to the survival of dentin carious free pits and fissures. The odds ratio for this trial was 0.747 (95% confidence interval: 0.493–1.13) Conclusion Resin sealants fared better than ART sealants in the field of retention. However, no significant differences were observed with regard to fissure caries prevention by the end of the study period.

A BSTRACT Background: Accurate diagnosis, reporting of caries and its consequences, is absolute mandate for planning an efficient, effective community health-care program. Literature reports indicate shortcomings of existing caries assessment tools. Caries assessment spectrum and treatment (CAST) is novice caries quantification tool, which quantifies the entire spectrum of carious lesions. This tool records give an insight into the status of restorations along with various progressive developmental stages of dental caries. This instrument has been validated for face, content, and construct by an expert group, and currently, its usage is on the rise. Aim: The aim of this study was to report the reliability of this assessment tool with regard to the primary and permanent dentition of school children and adults belonging to a south Indian district. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out by two trained and calibrated examiners by examining 192 school children in the age-group between 4 and 6 years and 262 adults between 19 and 69 years. The study sample was reexamined by the same examiners after a gap of 4 weeks. The κ coefficient values and percent of agreement were calculated for the data recorded from the study subjects. Results: The analyzed data showed moderate intra-examiner and inter-examiner reproducibility for either of the dentition as revealed by κ coefficient values (0.80–0.89). Inter- or intra-examiner agreement was found to be substantial to almost perfect (percent agreement above 90%) with respect to both the age-groups. Conclusion: The CAST tool seems quite promising to be the future for quantifying caries spectrum for a community or an individual.

Background: The trend in all countries is industrialization; it leads to many occupational health problems and diseases among transport workers. The workers may be exposed to hazardous environment which affect the general as well as oral health because of the relative lesser importance given to it. The use of products related to tobacco and poor oral hygiene practices adds to the oral disease burden among this population.Methods: The study population consisted of 404 people, and oral health was examined using the World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Health Assessment form from 1997. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 was used to analyze the data. The Chi-square test, t-test, and Analysis of Variance were used to compare study population proportions and mean scores (ANOVA).  Results: The number of sextants influenced by CPI and LOA was found to be considerably larger (p=0.005) among guys who had completed high school education. Buccal mucosa showed ulcerations and leukoplakia from oral mucosal ulcers. Males aged 46-60 years old had significantly higher mean DMFT scores (3.31±4.44; 2.11±3.33 respectively) than females aged 46-60 years old (p=0.005). Overall, male workers aged 30-45 years old with a high school degree were shown to have a higher risk of acquiring oral health problems and requiring treatment.Conclusions: According to the findings, TSRTC personnel aged 30-45, males with a primary school education, had poor oral mucosal health and periodontal status. Workers with a high school education have a higher prevalence of dental caries and unmet dental care needs. As a result, there is an urgent need to focus on these high-risk groups.

A well-designed tool to assess the carious spectrum of an individual or a community, thus enabling the responsible stakeholders to plan an appropriate care that is necessary.