More FAQs

In the last Comment, I explained that I would answer some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) in writing, as I didn't have time at the conclusion of a webinar. Here are more!

The most frequent FAQ was: Seal&Protect has been discontinued by the manufacturers: what is the best alternative?

This was news to me as I was not aware that this material was no longer available: I hadn't used it for years, which is probably why I hadn't missed it! However, quite a number of dentists obviously did.

For information, Seal&Protect (Dentsply Sirona) was a nanofilled light-curing dental varnish designed to protect exposed dentine areas, both mechanically and by way of an antimicrobial agent. It contained resins, including PENTA (dipentaerythritol penta acrylate monophosphate), which has appeared in Dentsply bonding agents over the years, a photo-initiator, stabilizers, cetylamine hydrofluoride, triclosan and acetone. It appears that it was the triclosan (an antibacterial and antifungal agent that readers will have learned about as a constituent of some toothpastes), which was the villain of the piece, as a change in Medical Devices Regulations1 meant that it was no longer to be used in medical devices. Indeed, in light of mounting evidence on the human health and ecotoxic effects of triclosan, some companies reformulated to remove it in advance of regulation: Colgate-Palmolive removed it from Palmolive Dish Soap and Softsoap in 2011 (but it remained in Colgate Total toothpaste until early 2019); Johnson & Johnson removed it from baby products in 2012 and all products in 2015; and Procter & Gamble from all products in 2014.1