One of the most common chronic diseases in the population is dental caries.
But there has been a noticeable decline in caries prevalence and severity, which is thought to be partly a result of water fluoridation and fluoride-containing oral products.
Studies have been done on ways to stop the growth of caries lesions mostly in pediatric and geriatric population, with a particular emphasis on fluoride-containing materials.
Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) is a white liquid that contains 5.0% to 5.9% fluoride and 24.4% to 28.8% (weight/volume) silver with PH of 10 .
Without removing healthy tooth tissue, SDF gives the chance to arrest or stop the spread of caries lesions. SDF also seems to remineralize the dentin.
The primary advantages of SDF include its ability to manage pain and infection, ease of use, low cost, short learning curve, and effectiveness as a noninvasive therapy of caries arrest.
SDF may also have utility in the situation of multiple caries lesions that cannot be treated by conventional means in one single visit. It allows for stabilization of the disease prior to proceeding with the conventional restorative treatment. SDF treatment has been shown to be as effective in stopping caries progression as restorative treatment , while being up to twenty times less costly.
Does the use of SDF have any negative effects?
Permanent black staining of the caries lesions that have been halted is one of the potential side effects of using SDF therapy.
One thing that you should keep in mind is that SDF application every six months is advised for long-term benefit. Dental hygienist or dentist can use it on people who are a good candidate for treatment in a dental clinic.
Increasing Access to Care in the Geriatric Population with Silver Diamine Fluoride, particularly in the case of root caries, which are difficult to restore.
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