Silver diamine fluoride: Role in management of dental caries

Abstract

Dental caries is a multifactorial disease affecting children and adults alike all over the globe. The patients with dental caries present with various symptoms depending on the extent of carious involvement. It initially presents as a white-spot lesion which, if left untreated, may demineralize the tooth structure, thereby compromising the pulp. To combat the rising problems associated with dental caries, Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) has come as a game changer in the field of dentistry. It is a colourless solution which contains silver as an antimicrobial as well as fluoride to help in the prevention and arrest of dental caries. The fluoride penetrates deeper into the tooth with SDF as compared with other fluoride solutions, creating a fluoride reservoir in the tooth structure. SDF has been recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a dentin desensitizer but is also used to treat carious lesions. The advantages it has over other fluoride agents is because of its high efficiency and no requirement of any instrumentation to remove the lesion, thus making it a widely accepted method of caries control.