Sealing grooves or pits on molars can prevent decay and is an important part of preventing harmful carious lesions.

From a primary prevention perspective, anatomic grooves or pits and fissures on occlusal surfaces of permanent molars trap food debris and promote the presence of bacterial biofilm, thereby increasing the risk of developing carious lesions or tooth decay.

Effectively penetrating and sealing these surfaces with a dental material—for example, pit-and-fissure sealants—can prevent lesions/decay and is part of a comprehensive caries management approach.

From a secondary prevention perspective, there is evidence that sealants prevent and can also inhibit the progression of noncavitated carious lesions.

The use of sealants to arrest or inhibit the progression of carious lesions is important to the clinician when determining the appropriate intervention for noncavitated carious lesions.