Comparing Dental Treatment between Children Receiving and not Receiving Silver Diamine Fluoride

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Dentistry
• Caries Management
• Dental Public Health

Background:

• Early childhood caries presents a significant public health challenge.
• Effective and cost-efficient treatment modalities are crucial for managing pediatric dental caries.
• Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) has emerged as a minimally invasive option for caries management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare dental visits, procedures, and expenditures in children with newly diagnosed caries treated with and without silver diamine fluoride (SDF).
• To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of SDF as an adjunct to restorative treatment in pediatric dental care.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective chart review was conducted in a private dental practice.
• Nearest neighbor matching was used to compare outcomes between children who received SDF and those who did not (n=104 matched pairs).
• Data analyzed included demographic information, health status, and dental treatment details.

Main Results:

• The SDF group exhibited significantly more dental visits (ATET=1.08) and fewer restorations (ATET=2.37) compared to the non-SDF group.
• Overall treatment expenditures were lower in the SDF group (ATET=$292).
• Secondary analysis excluding treatment under general anesthesia showed similar trends with more visits (ATET=.66), fewer restorations (ATET=2.74), and reduced costs (ATET=$515).

Conclusions:

• Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) can lead to significant cost savings in pediatric dental care.
• SDF is effective as an adjunct to restorative treatment, not necessarily a complete replacement.
• The findings support the use of SDF for managing caries in young children to reduce overall treatment costs.