The Manitoba Children's Dental Program provides children living in rural Manitoba with provincially-subsidized dental services through private dental offices and school-based clinics. In 1989, the Manitoba government funded a fissure sealant pilot project for an initial period of two years. The first and second molar teeth of high-risk children were targeted for the study. Light-cured Fluoroshield pit and fissure sealant and Max Curing Lites were provided by L.D. Caulk for the sealant trial. After two years, evaluation focused on three specific areas: a) retention rates; b) was there a trend toward decreased treatment requirements?; and c) were sealants a cost-effective measure in preventing dental disease? A total of 1,631 children received fissure sealants during the study. The majority of these sealants, 62.5 per cent, were placed on six-year molars, while the remainder, 37.4 per cent, were placed on 12-year molars. One hundred children were recalled for clinical evaluation. Retention rates averaged as follows: 85 per cent completely present, 13 per cent partially present and two per cent failed. Children in the sample area experienced a decrease in their need for one- and two-surface restorations that was almost double the decrease experienced by children in the equivalent control group (18.5 per cent need decrease in the sample area versus a 10.9 per cent need decrease in the control group over the two years of the study).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)