March 2007

Aims: To provide information on the frequency and distribution patterns of sealants in the Public Dental Health Service for Children (PDHSC) in Denmark. A further aim was to determine whether there was a correlation between DMF-S and sealants. Design: A cross sectional survey using data from 15-year-old Danes in 2003. Sample and subjects: The sample consisted of 50 randomly selected municipalities from the 204 municipalities with public clinics. Thirty-nine municipalities (78%) forwarded useful data. A total number of 3,184 15-year-olds were involved in the study. Results: The mean DMF-S was 2.97 (SD=1.40) and 42% had a DMF-S=0. The mean number of sealants was 3.06 (SD=1.60). Two-thirds of all participants had one or more sealed surfaces. At the individual level the correlation coefficient (rs) between sealants and DMF-S was –0.05 (p<0.01). The mean number of sealants in one municipality was 0.26, in another 6.00. The surfaces most often sealed, were the occlusal surfaces on permanent second molars (35%), closely followed by the occlusal surfaces on permanent first molars (32%). Sealants on premolars were rare (1.5%). At the municipality level there was no significant correlation between mean DMF-S, % 15-year-olds with a DMF-S=0 and mean number of sealants (rs= 0.02 (p=0.90) and rs= 0.06 (p=0.73), respectively). Conclusion: The data indicate a high use of sealants on molar teeth, a very large inter-municipality variation, no correlation between sealants and DMF-S. These findings suggest that there are no clear guidelines for use of sealants in the PDHSC in Denmark. Key words: Children, Denmark, public dental health service, sealants.