SECTION 1

PREVENTIVE TECHNIQUES

REASON FOR PROCEDURE

Preventive techniques are aimed at preventing the onset of dental caries in teeth, so that they maintain the dental health of a patient.

The two procedures to be discussed are:

• Application of fissure sealants
• Application of topical fluorides

APPLICATION OF FISSURE SEALANTS

Background information of procedure

Any surface area of a tooth that cannot be cleaned easily by the patient can allow food debris and, ultimately, plaque to accumulate there, and can allow caries to develop by acting as a stagnation area.

The usual sites are the occlusal pits and fissures of posterior teeth, and especially the first permanent molars which erupt at around 6 years of age.

These teeth are particularly prone to caries because:

• They are the least accessible teeth for cleaning, being at the back of a young patient’s mouth
• They erupt at an age when a good oral hygiene regime is unlikely to have />
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