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 .
A comparison of retention and the effect on caries of fissure sealing with a glass-ionomer and a resin-based sealant.
OBJECTIVE To compare the retention and the caries preventive effect of a glass-ionomer developed for fissure sealing ( Fuji III ) and a chemically polymerized resin-based fissure sealant ( Delton ) . DESIGN A split mouth r and omized design using contralateral teeth . SETTING WHO Regional Demonstration , Training and Research Center for Oral Health , Damascus , Syrian Arab Republic . SAMPLE AND METHODS 179 children , 7 years old at the start of the study , were recruited from schools close to the Center . Only children with at least one pair of permanent first molars that were caries free or only had incipient lesions were included in the study . Follow-up examinations for sealant retention were done after 6 months , 1 year , 2 years and 3 years . The number of children available for reexamination was 129 ( after 6 months ) ; 121 ( after 1 year ) ; 115 ( after 2 years ) and 116 ( after 3 years ) . Four dental hygienists were trained in the sealant procedures and did approximately one fourth of the sealants each . RESULTS After 3 years the  glass-ionomer sealant was completely lost in almost 90 % of the teeth compared to less than 10 % of the resin sealed teeth . After 3 years the relative risk of a tooth sealed with glass-ionomer over that of a tooth sealed with resin was 3.38 ( 95 % CL : 1.98 ; 5.79 ) . This finding was consistent over type of tooth . CONCLUSIONS The glass-ionomer sealant tested in the present study had poorer retention and less caries protective effect than the resin-based sealant used
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 .