Pros and Cons of Silver Diamine Fluoride Application
Pros
- No numbing or drilling needed
- Stops cavity from progressing
- Avoids sedation/ general anesthesia for young children and people with special healthcare needs
- Enables access to care for adults by overcoming financial, logistical, and trust barriers
- Helps prevent more cavities from forming
- Gives profound control of tooth sensitivity
- Enables primary care clinicians to help treat patients that do not have a dentist
- Cost effective
Cons
- Turns the cavity black
- Needs to be reapplied
- Doesn't fill the cavity (hole)
- Doesn't restore form and function of the tooth (but can make restoration easier later)
- Doesn't prevent food impaction resulting from open contact areas that are cavitated
- SDF alone does not comprise a dental home
References:
Castillo, J. L., et al., (2011). The short-term effects of diamine silver fluoride on tooth sensitivity: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Dental Research, 90(2), 203-208.
Huebner, C. E., et al., (2020). Parents' Satisfaction with Silver Diamine Fluoride Treatment of Carious Lesions in Children. J Dent Child (Chic). 2020 Jan 15;87(1): 4-11.
Crystal, Y. O., et al., (2017). Parental perceptions and acceptance of silver diamine fluoride staining. J Am Dent Assoc. 148(7):510-518.e4. doi:10.1016/j.adaj.2017.03.013
Seifo, N., et al. (2021). "I guess it looks worse to me, it doesn't look like there's been a problem solved but obviously there is": a qualitative exploration of children's and their parents' views of silver diamine fluoride for the management of carious lesions in children. BMC Oral Health. 21(1):367. doi:10.1186/s12903-021-01730-w