الفهرس 
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Abstract
This study was designed to evaluate the effect of pit and fissure sealing materials: Glass ionomer fissure sealant (Riva protect), flowable compomer (Compoglass flow), fluoride containing resin fissure sealant (Ultraseal XT), Resin fissure sealant (Helioseal clear) on the level of Streptococcus mutans in saliva during different phases of materials usage, i.e. before application, after one week, one month and six months after sealant application and the evaluation of the retention of all the materials used.
The study population comprised 60 children who were 6-8 year old at and they were divided into four groups each group comprised 15 children. One of the tested materials was applied to each group.
Cultures for streptococcus mutants was taken from unstimulated whole saliva samples which were collected using sterile plastic syringes. Samples were collected on four occasions before sealant application, after one week of sealant application, after one month of sealant application and after six months of sealant application. This was done to asses the antibacterial properties of each material and for how long it will remain.
In this study pit and fissure sealants were used because they were more efficient as a caries-preventive method in newly erupted molars than fluoride and chlorhexidine varnish or gel .
The retention of all the materials used was clinically assessed after one month of sealant application and after six months of sealant application using probe and mouth mirror and was categorized according to complete , partial rentention or complete loss and to presence and absence of caries into 5 scores .
The result of the present study showed that after six months of sealant application there was no statistically significant difference between mean percent reduction of S.mutans counts of the glass ionomer (GI) and flowable compomer (FC) groups which showed the statistically significantly highest values. While there was no statistically significant difference between the resin fissure sealant (R) and the fluoride containing resin fissure sealant (FR) groups which showed an increase in mean S.mutans counts values.
Through the study period the glass ionomer (GI) group shows the lowest clinical mean percentage increase in retention scores, followed by flowable compomer (FC), the fluoride containing resin fissure sealant (FR) and resin fissure sealant (R) group which showed the highest mean percentage increase in retention scores but there was no statistically significant difference between the four groups.