The dental community is waging a major ongoing battle with itself over dental sealants. The debate is not whether they should be applied or not, but rather whether they should be placed over active plaque that has not yet become a cavity. Some dentists are concerned that doing so could possibly allow a cavity to continue to be formed under the plastic like seal while other dentists say that there is no evidence to suggest that the plaque bacteria continues to thrive under the coating.

Less than twenty percent of children at or below the poverty line get the dental sealants placed on their teeth, but children from higher income homes do not get them much more frequently. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only forty percent of those children get seals. Ironically, the group with the highest rate of cavities are boys in higher income homes.

Jonathon Shenkin, DDS, as the spokesman for the American Dental Association spoke in favor of the dental sealants, saying that they give nearly eighty percent protection against all cavities as soon as they are placed and continue to protect at nearly sixty percent for the next four to five years. But, fewer than half of all dentists follow the recommendations of the ADA according to a study performed by Temple University and suggest the sealants to their patients who would benefit most from them. They are pricey, costing between thirty and forty dollars per tooth but are covered by most dental insurance plans. The sealant was first approved in 1976 by the ADA.

Critics of the dental sealants worry about placing them incorrectly or over active plaque saying that there are not enough studies to conclusively prove that there will not be progression to a full blown cavity with the sealant in place. Others worry because the dental sealants expose the child to bisphenol A or BPA. Both the CDC and ADA say that the protection given by the sealants outweighs any risks factors.

Around fifty five million dental sealants are placed each year. Pediatric dentists place twice as many sealants as other dentists. The process is painless and usually takes only a few minutes per tooth. The sealant is placed on the biting surface of the six year molars by dripping the liquid compound onto each and then setting it into place with an ultraviolet light. The process is done when the child is between five and seven years old.