Enhanced silver diamine fluoride therapy using the PILP method -A nanoindentation study.

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Nanotechnology in Dentistry

Background:

• Dental caries remains a significant global health issue.
• Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is an effective caries arresting agent.
• Enhancing SDF efficacy and delivery is crucial for improved treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of the polymer-induced liquid-precursor (PILP) method for enhancing silver diamine fluoride (SDF) therapy.
• To evaluate the nanomechanical properties of artificial caries lesions after treatment with SDF and PILP-modified SDF.

Main Methods:

• Artificial caries lesions (140 μm deep) were created and treated with 38% SDF solution.
• A second group received 38% SDF containing poly-L-aspartic acid (pASP) via the PILP method.
• Nanoindentation was used to measure the reduced elastic modulus and nanohardness across the lesions.

Main Results:

• Both SDF and PILP-SDF treatments significantly recovered the nanomechanical properties of the lesions (p<0.001).
• PILP-SDF demonstrated superior recovery, maintaining improved properties further into the lesion compared to SDF alone.
• SDF alone showed a drop in properties after 96 μm, while PILP-SDF continued to improve until 144 μm.

Conclusions:

• The PILP method is a feasible approach to enhance SDF therapy.
• PILP-modified SDF provides superior nanomechanical restoration in artificial caries lesions.
• This approach holds promise for more effective dental caries management.