Modules
Module 1: Background

1.1 Description and History of Sealant Programs and Program Basics

Image of sealed tooth and of mouth highlighting pits and fissuresImage of sealed tooth and of mouth
highlighting pits and fissures
Dental sealants are thin plastic coatings that are bonded to the pit-and-fissure surfaces of teeth to prevent dental caries. Sealants provide a physical barrier that stops debris and decay-causing bacteria from collecting in the pits and fissures of vulnerable teeth (mainly molars), which are difficult to clean because the pits and fissures can be narrower than a toothbrush bristle.1 Dental sealant placement is the most appropriate strategy for preventing dental caries in pits and fissures.

School-based dental sealant programs generally provide sealants to children who are less likely than their higher-income counterparts to receive private oral health care. These children include enrollees in federal programs like FRPMa or Medicaid or those who are uninsured.1

Dental sealant programs may be school based (forms distributed and sealants placed at school) or school linked (forms distributed at school, sealants placed at nearby clinic or other site). All major public health dental sealant programs in Ohio are school based.1

Although sealant programs deliver a clinical preventive service, usually by dental hygienists or dental assistants, when they are designed in response to population data and in accordance with public health principles, they represent a community-based approach to disease prevention. Sealant programs are not primary oral health care settings, such as private practices or clinics that can offer continuous care and have access to a full array of caries diagnostic and treatment options.


a Throughout this module, “Free and Reduced Price Meals” refers to the National School Lunch Program, a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day.