• Buntarika Suwanvecho D.D.S., M.Sc.
• Pornpun Asvanit D.D.S., M.S.
• Supaporn Chongvisal D.D.S., M.S.

Objective To evaluate the equivalence of the retention rate of resin sealant Prevocare^TM (Chulalongkorn,
Thailand), plus a post-etching drying agent, and Concise^TM (3M ESPE, U.S.A.) placed under field
conditions over a 36-month period.

Materials and methods One hundred and thirty-eight pairs of contralateral first permanent molars
from 122 hill-tribe school children aged 6-12 years old in Chiang Rai province, Thailand, were
selected. A matched pair experimental design was used in which Prevocare^TM (opaque) plus post-etching
drying agent and Concise^TM were randomly allocated to one of the teeth within each pair. The treatment
was performed by three pediatric dentists under field conditions. After 6, 12, 24 and 36 months,
another dentist evaluated the retention and caries of the sealed molars. The data were analyzed by
statistical programs SPSS (version 11) and STATA (version 7). A confidence interval approach was
used to compare the retention of the two sealants. In this study, clinical equivalence of the two sealants
was accepted when the retention rate difference at 95% confident interval was within 10%.

Results At 12 months, the retention rates of Prevocare^TM plus post etching-drying agent and Concise^TM
were 87.4 and 85.8%, respectively. The mean difference of retention rates were 1.6% (95% CI-6.8,
9.9%). And finally at 36 months, the retention rates in both groups were decrease to 70.0 and 68.2%.
The mean difference of retention rates were 1.9% (95% CI-9.0, 12.8%). At the end of the study, seven
carious teeth were detected in the Concise^TM group.

Conclusion The retention rate of Prevocare^TM plus a drying agent was not inferior to that of Concise^TM
under field condition at 36 months follow-up.

(CU Dent J. 2013;36:65-74)