Presenters: Angie Settle
Authors: Angela Settle, Rylee Pruitt
Faculty Advisor: Kimberly Jensen
Institution: Dixie State University
Early childhood caries continues to be a rampant health concern throughout the world. Much of the decay and associated pain targets low-income communities who lack regular access to dental care (Milgrom et al., 2017). One viable solution to arrest disease that has permeated public health is silver diamine fluoride (SDF). The goal of this research project was to compare the effectiveness of SDF to other restorative materials and methods. The authors conducted a PubMed search related to primary research of SDF published since 2016. Search terms included SDF, atraumatic restorative treatment, silver nitrate, fluoride varnish, and/or caries arrest. The conclusions from six different randomized controlled trials were conclusive regarding the efficacy of SDF. Silver diamine fluoride was equally or more effective at arresting caries as a placebo, silver nitrate/fluoride varnish two-step application, 5% sodium fluoride varnish, and atraumatic restorative treatment (ART). SDF also has other advantages, namely the cost and its simple, one-step application. Unlike ART, there is not a requirement of any additional training for its application. The main disadvantage of SDF is its characteristic black staining that appears on the decayed surface. Even with this staining, Jiang et al. (2019) found that parents were not opposed to its use, especially if ART were placed post SDF-treatment. Given the proven effectiveness of SDF at caries arrest, its use should be more widespread in the public health sector and to help address rampant early childhood caries. Children would most directly benefit through decreased oral pain, school absence and hindered performance due to decay. Its low cost and simple application outweigh the visible disadvantages of staining. Registered dental hygienists should advocate for the autonomy to maximize the benefits of SDF to help protect a vulnerable population.