Review and suggestion on the evaluation of the effect and the benefit of a pit and fissure sealant project

As a professional method to prevent decayed teeth and an oral public health project, pit and fissure sealant is widely used domestically. How to evaluate the effect and benefit of the community pit and fissure closure project, especially the community full coverage pit and fissure closure project, requires investigation. The Guangzhou Children′s Pit and Fissure Sealing Project was carried out in an orderly manner and was administered normatively. A retrospective cohort study with use of a sample survey was used in this program. According to cavity occurrence and reservations of sealant in the first permanent molar, the samples were divided into the following two groups: the sealing group with indication and the sealing group without indication. Reservations of sealant, cavity incidence, reduced incidence, net profit, cost-effectiveness and cost-benefits of the program were evaluated. Some promotable experiences were summarized during this project. Various relevant theories and reports of the pit and fissure sealant project evaluation were reviewed and previous studies were discussed in this article. By analyzing the methods and results of the pit and fissure sealant project in Guangzhou, suggestions are made for project evaluation, especially sample grouping and evaluation indicators, which was refer to a further study for the pit and fissure sealing project.