Dr Dental – Dental Sealants are Still Underused by Dentists.
A study suggests that more dentists should be using dental sealants to help protect back teeth. Temple University’s dental school researchers who did the study surveyed 595 general dentists and 176 pediatric dentists. The dentist was asked whether they would use sealants on teeth with different signs of early decay. They also were asked how they felt about using sealants with different groups of people. In 2008 the ADA endorsed the use of sealants n teeth with the earliest stages of decay. In these stages, a molar or premolar is discolored on its chewing surface, but the tooth has no cavity yet. Research has shown that sealing teeth like this can prevent cavities. However, the new survey found that many dentists need to learn about the ADA panel’s advice or the dentist that does know disagree with it. It also shows that Pediatric dentists were more likely to follow the recommendations than a general dentists. This study appears in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.