Sealing Tile Penatrations

JW and gang -

What's you secret sauce / technique on sealing tile penetrations..

The only 2 locations where I use chaulk in the bathroom is around the window and just under the top of the valve shower handle trim.
I lean on the less is more camp with silicone.....and have always grouted my changes of plane with no issue...
Silicone attracts stuff in which eventually where ~gunk~ grows

I'm incorporating grab bars in a wet area. Just short of what everybody does, which is shoot some silicone in the screwhole, I'm not sure what other methods one can employ to mitigate water intrusion. I may just skip the chaulk and just paint the head if the screws with some Hydroban. Afterall, the flange cover will cover it anyway.....

I've used Wing-Its fasteners, which have double stick foam gaskets built in. A total waste if you have blocking where you need it, but a good choice, otherwise. I've not had issues when putting a bead of silicon on the tile side of the flange of a bar, then some more under and around the head of the screws holding it in - it's all hidden by the trim on most grab bar designs.

There's only so much mildewcide allowed by ~law~ that goes in silicone which is not alot.

SOAP Scum - or the very nature of the beast , it is my perception/belief just loves caulk...
Granted, I have not used caulk between tub/tile for years, but it's due to the type of soap one uses that plays a role in the mildew/black of caulk
In our case, bar soap, which is the worst offender of them all.

I could easily imagine not seeing any *black* ontop of the grab bar, but if one was to pull the flange cover, there might be traces if there was silicone...
It will be directly exposed to water.
However, between the flange cover, and the flange itself, the only weak spot is just the screw that is penetrating tile/membrane/cbu into wood blocking and or any water that may wick / find it's path from underneath between the flange/tile.

I'm trying to avoid all this beforehand without the need to use silicone....

Granted, some designs are better than others. Just got some hardware in for towel flanges and stuff. It's got a O ring incorporated into it.