A silver renaissance in dentistry

Recently, there has been interest in biological approaches for caries management, with techniques such as interim therapeutic restorations and Hall technique crowns showing comparative effectiveness against conventional restorative methods. One of these approaches is the use of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) as a restorative option. In this invited review, the aim was to critically appraise the currently available literature with regards to the indication, technique and outcome of SDF.

A review of the literature on SDF with a focus on its use in the primary dentition was conducted.

There has been a recent explosion in the literature regarding the use of SDF, from in vitro studies on the mechanism to clinical studies on the effectiveness and patient acceptance of the technique. A systematic review in 2016 concluded that SDF application resulted in caries arrest in 81% of active lesions in primary teeth over 30 months. Additionally, over 60% of parents reported being satisfied with the aesthetic outcome with most children finding the procedure to be acceptable, comfortable and relatively pain-free.

Silver diamine fluoride is a safe and effective alternative technique to caries management in the paediatric population. Given the ongoing worldwide debate on cost-effectiveness of biological approaches coupled with the increasing concerns and limited accessibility of treatment under general analgesia, SDF should form an important addition to every dentist's armamentarium.