Two compliance-free and site-specific caries control techniques: pre-fissure and proximal sealants

reverse is true with hidden smooth surfaces, as they are less accessible to mechanical cleansing and chemical protection from saliva and fluoride and are therefore more susceptible to caries. It is important to point out that in some situations, the same surface can change its risk status over time. Example 1: a large carious white spot lesion which was formed on the proximal surface of a tooth when it was hidden could become exposed and arrested, or remineralised, with the removal of an adjacent tooth (Figure 1). Example 2: the distal and mesial surfaces of a first permanent molar can be classified as exposed toward the end of the mixed dentition stage, when the second primary molar exfoliates and the second permanent molar is still unerupted. We propose that in high-risk children, these surfaces can be protected from future proximal caries prior to their returning to a hidden status upon the eruption of the second permanent molar and premolar. These surfaces Two compliance-free and site-specific caries control techniques: pre-fissure and proximal sealants