The combined use of pit and fissure sealants and fluoride mouthrinsing in second and third grade children: final clinical results after two years.

The combined benefits of pit and fissure sealants and weekly mouthrinsing with a 0.2% neutral NaF solution were assessed in children who initially had no caries or restorations in their permanent teeth. Ninety-five children participating in a school-based weekly fluoride mouthrinsing program since kindergarten had sealants applied to their first permanent molars when they were in the second and third grades. Only 3 lesions were found in the 84 children who were available for examination after 2 years; 96.4% remained caries free. One hundred thirty-one children who participated in the fluoride mouthrinsing program but who did not have sealants applied served as the control group. A large percentage of these children were eliminated from the study because sealants were applied to their teeth by private dentists. In the 51 children who were available after 2 years, 24 surfaces had decayed or were restored, and 78.4% of the children were caries free. The combination of pit and fissure sealants and weekly fluoride mouthrinsing resulted in the nearly complete elimination of new carious lesions.