2007 – VOLUME 36 – Issue 1

Since the registration in the official journal on January 19th, 2001, pit and fissure sealant on the first and second permanent molars in children younger than 14 years old is covered by health insurance schemes. This study was conducted through the regional health insurance schemes of independent occupations of île de France to evaluate the practices of practitioners on pit and fissure sealants. Not only to verify the GNPA application, this study had also as objectives to determine criteria for treatment decision as well as to evaluate clinical procedures performed by the practitioners. 210 questionnaireswere sent to the practitioners having performed at least a quotation SC8, specific for this preventive act, reimbursed from January, 2003 till June, 2003. The rate of response was 69 % (n=144) and all of them were dentists. The questionnaire consisted of various criteria, that is, frequency of the act, caries risk evaluation, usage of sealing agents, type of material used, additional advices. 55 % of the patients having received a sealant were boys. The 13-year-old patients (age included between 12 and 14 years) represented the most significant age range. The GNPA application as regards tooth location, children´s age and fee rate application on an opposable act, was respected in 95 % of the treated cases.As regards the decision-making criteria, in 87% of the treated cases, the practitioners declared to perform caries risk evaluation and mostly employed DMF index with clinical examination. In 97 % of the treated cases, the practitioners performan examination by probing. For clinical procedures, a prophylactic cleaning was performed in 94 % of the cases. As pit and fissure sealant should be integrated in a global preventive measure, the practitioners declared to give additional advices of brushing in 97 % of the cases.