This systematic review with meta- analysis found no evidence that either material was superior to the other in the prevention of dental caries .
Thus , both material s appear equally suitable for clinical application as a fissure sealant material
The purpose of this quantitative systematic review was to appraise the evidence on the  caries-preventive effect of glass ionomer cement ( GIC ) in relation to  resin-based fissure sealants .
Effects of glass ionomer cement, resin-based pit and fissure sealant and HF applications on occlusal caries in a developing country field trial.
The aim of this community-oriented study was to evaluate different methods to prevent fissure caries . The following products and measures were tested : 1 ) glass ionomer cement ( GIC ) applied by dentist ; 2 ) same material applied by short term ( 3 days ) trained personnel ( teachers ) ; 3 ) application of a 0.5 % HF solution three times ; 4 ) an established autopolymerized resin based sealant ( Delton ) . The study was performed in Bangkok , Thail and , a city in a developing country experiencing increasing caries prevalence . Children with at least three sound permanent molars from two age groups , 7 - 8 and 12 - 13-yr-olds respectively were chosen from very low to medium socioeconomic level families . 1264 children were systematic ally assigned to experiment or control groups based on school and DMFT . For the younger age group , the 2 yr mean DFS occlusal increment in the Control group was 0.66 surfaces . Significantly lower increments were observed in the GIC experimental group : 0.17 surfaces applied by the teachers and 0.32 applied by dentist , corresponding to 74 % and 52 % reductions , respectively . The mean increment in the HF group was 0.44 surfaces , a 33 % reduction in relation to the Control group . For the 12 - 13-yr-olds , the mean occlusal surface DF increment was 0.70 surfaces in the Control group . Almost no occlusal increment was found in the Delton group , 0.05 DFS , a 93 % reduction . In the GIC Dentist group , the DFS increment was 0.48 and in the Teacher group 0.56 , corresponding to 31 % and 20 % reduction , respectively . A slight and nonsignificant increase of caries in relation to the Control group was observed in the HF group . ( ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS
This systematic review with meta- analysis found no evidence that either material was superior to the other in the prevention of dental caries .
Thus , both material s appear equally suitable for clinical application as a fissure sealant material
The purpose of this quantitative systematic review was to appraise the evidence on the  caries-preventive effect of glass ionomer cement ( GIC ) in relation to  resin-based fissure sealants .