Factors that Affect the Shear Bond Strength of Pit and Fissure Sealants to Tooth Structure: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Pit and fissure sealants are effective in preventing caries disease, however, they may present flaws that damage the physical barrier leading to treatment failure.

Objective: To answer the question ''Do pit and fissure sealants present good adhering to the dental structure when analyzed by their resistance to shear/microshear?".

Methods: This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and was recorded in Open Science Framework. Embase, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases were used for the search strategy. The articles were selected according to the eligibility criteria. The risk of bias was performed with the adaptation of the quasi-experimental studies tool by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI).

Results: 1245 studies were found in the databases when applying the search strategy, after removal of duplicates 881 were evaluated and 44 were selected. After applying the JBI tool, 30 studies presented low risk and 15 moderate risk of bias. Meta-analysis was not possible to performed due to the heterogeneity of the studies.

Conclusion: The adhesion is dependent on the application protocol, and among the protocols evaluated, conditioning with 37% phosphoric acid for 60 seconds and contamination of the substrate, as these can affect sealant adhesion.