Abstract
Aims: was to conduct a comparative evaluation of the DryShield isolation system (DSI) to the rubber dam isolation (RDI) during premolar fissure sealants (FS) placement as for the chair time, subjective patient discomfort, pain and future preference among 9 to 15-year-old pediatric dental patients.
Material and Methods: This split-mouth randomized clinical study included healthy 9 to 15-year-old children with at least one pair of contralateral fully erupted, caries-free permanent premolars indicated for FS. Teeth were randomly allocated to either the control or the test group. In the control group, teeth received FS with RDI while the test group teeth received FS with DSI. Chair time was recorded using a stopwatch. Subjects rated their pain using a answered a validated Arabic interview questionnaire after completing both procedures.
Results: Twenty-eight subjects were included. The DSI significantly reduced the chair time with a P-value of <0.001. Subjects reported that they were significantly more annoyed by the noise associated with DSI (2.07 +/- 2.11) with P-value of 0.022. Older subjects were less likely to report higher pain scores pain score (OR=0.59, 95% CI, 0.42 - 0.84, P=0.003) compared to younger subjects regardless of gender and the type of isolation system used. No significant differences were found in future preference of DSI or RDI (P=1.00).
Discussion and Conclusion: The use of DryShield isolation during fissure sealant application on premolars is associated with a significant reduction in chair time compared to the rubber dam isolation and can be used as an alternative to the rubber dam isolation among pediatric patients.