Hydrophobic or hydrophilic fissure sealants: A systematic review and meta‑analysis

Abstract

Background: The objective of the study was to evaluate caries development and retention rate of
resin‑based hydrophilic and hydrophobic fissure sealants based on the randomized clinical trials in
which the investigators have studied this subject.
Materials and Methods: A literature screen was conducted in some databases, including PubMed,
Scopus, Embase, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, to select randomized clinical trials that
compared the caries development/retention rate of resin‑based hydrophilic and hydrophobic fissure
sealants until March 2025. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using version 2 of the
Cochrane risk‑of‑bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2), and the meta‑analysis was performed using
a random‑effect model. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations
Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.
Results: A total of 20,945 articles were initially retrieved for screening, and fourteen studies were
identified as eligible for inclusion in the quantitative analysis. The RoB assessment showed a high risk of
bias in 5 studies, some concerns in 5, and low risk in 4. Caries development was reported in 11 studies,
and retention rate in 14. The meta‑analysis results showed a statistically significant difference for caries
development (odds ratio [OR]: 0.490, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.277–0.867; P = 0.014), whereas the
retention rate (OR: 0.859, 95% CI: 0.596–1.237; P = 0.414) indicated no statistically significant differences.
The quality of evidence for both outcomes was rated as very low according to the GRADE system.
Conclusion: It could be concluded that hydrophilic and hydrophobic resin‑based fissure sealants
are approximately equal in caries development and retention rate, with very low quality of evidence.
Clinical Relevance: In clinical practice, resin‑based hydrophilic fissure sealants could be applied
on susceptible tooth surfaces; in case of difficult isolation, with an almost equal clinical success for
hydrophobic fissure sealants.
Key Words: Hydrophilic, hydrophobic, meta‑analysis, pit‑ and‑fissure sealants, systematic review

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 Mana Mowji: Pubmed,Google Scholar